Next Generation: A Son for a Father
by JenCamp
Summary: The first in a group of SamJack kid fics. They are all standalones, so no need to read them all if you don't want to. AU after Shades of Grey, Jack is called home after a tragedy and informed he has a son.
1. Chapter 1

I'm baaaaaaaaaccccccckkkkkkk! Did you all miss me??

Okay, I am planning on finishing Forgotten Identity, I just read through it yesterday, and am planning on picking it back up as soon as my brain pumps out the next chapter for it.

In the meantime, I have had a load of stories, mostly half-way done on my computer that I wrote on whenever I was in a ahem maternal mood. Yes, they are Jack/Sam kid fics. So, with the cancellation of Stargate by Scifi, I thought I would start posting them as a "Next Generation" series. The stories are standalones. They have absolutely nothing to do with the other besides the fact that they involve Sam and Jack having children. This is the first one I am posting. I will probably post another tomorrow. I want to edit it a little first. Anyways, here's chapter one, let me know what you think!

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**A Son for a Father**

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"So, should we just head to the village or….." Daniel Jackson trailed off as he looked at the big man standing next to him for guidance.

"It has been many years since we have been on this planet, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c returned. "I believe it would be in our best interest to inquire for O'Neill in the village."

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Daniel replied in a quiet, sad voice and started trekking towards the village on the other side of the small grove of trees and shrubs.

As the two men walked, their eyes took in the scenery around them. "This place has recovered nicely from the meteor hits," Daniel announced nonchalantly.

"Indeed it has," Teal'c replied.

Daniel looked at his friend. Few words were common for the larger-than-life jaffa, but in the past few years, the big man had really opened up and spoke more than he ever had before. However, Daniel could hear the graveness in the man's voice and knew he was trying to cover it up by returning to his stoic, short replies in the aftermath of their tragedy.

After a small trek, the old-fashioned village came into view and the two men looked around for any familiar faces. Daniel smiled when the first face he recognized was none other than Laira, the very woman who could direct them to Jack.

"Dr. Jackson, Teal'c," Laira greeted with a smile as she approached the familiar aliens in the middle of the village. "It has been many years, what brings you back to Edora?"

"Uh, we're hear to see Jack," Daniel told her, looking around to see if he could see his old friend lurking anywhere.

"He is not here," Laira replied with surprise in her voice. "He left a long time ago."

"He….left?" Daniel asked incredulously. "Why?"

Laira diverted her gaze to the ground in discomfort. "Jack was not happy here…..with me….shortly after we returned, he became…..restless. He stayed by my side for much longer than I ever expected him to. But, eventually, I could no longer take his distance. I told him he could leave."

"And he did?" Daniel exclaimed in disbelief.

Laira nodded. "It took much convincing, but finally he relented."

"Do you know where we can find O'Neill?" Teal'c asked, not seeming at all surprised by Laira's news.

"Yes, yes I do. He found an abandoned world and set up a kind of base. He has recruited different people from different worlds and they travel through the stargate, much like you."

"Can you give us the address?" Daniel asked.

"Yes, of course. Come, I will walk you back to the stargate."

Daniel and Teal'c fell in step with the small woman. "So, uhm, Laira?" Daniel started in curiosity. "What about your child?" He had to ask. Maybe it was none of his business, but he just couldn't see Jack O'Neill leaving his child.

Laira's head lowered again and an air of sadness surrounded her. "I was mistaken in my belief that I was with child, Dr. Jackson."

"Oh?" Daniel replied, even more curious.

"I had many symptoms of pregnancy. That is why I dialed your world and informed Jack. However, once we returned here and several months passed without my stomach swelling, Jack became quite concerned."

"I can imagine," Daniel cut in.

"Our doctor's are not as advanced as yours, but Jack still insisted I see our local doctor. He had been on your world during the three months our stargate was buried and he had learned much of earth medicine. He examined me and told me I was going through the barren-cycle."

"I'm sorry, what is that?" Daniel asked.

"It is when my body changes from that of a woman capable of having children, to one incapable."

"Oh, yeah, we call that menopause on earth!" Daniel exclaimed in excitement, forgetting it was a very touchy subject.

Laira grimaced. "Yes, well, the symptoms often mimic that of pregnancy as the body changes. I was fooled."

"I'm sorry," Daniel replied sincerely.

Laira gave the archaeologist a small smile in response. "Here we are," Laira announced as they approached the DHD and then proceeded to give the two men the coordinates.

Daniel and Teal'c stepped through the stargate to the new world.

As soon as they rematerialized, they saw the group of armed men pointing weapons at them. "Don't shoot," Daniel told them, holding his hands up in surrender. "We are looking for Jack O'Neill."

A man stepped forward. He was about Daniel's height with red hair that hadn't seen a hairbrush in much too long of a time. He was dressed in clothes made up of some sort of rough-looking brown cloth, and the scowl on his face showed his dislike of the two men who had just invaded their world. "What do you want of him?" he gruffly asked.

"We're his friends. We come from earth. Please, we have news we must deliver to him," Daniel found himself pleading.

The red-haired man contemplated the two men standing before him. "What are your names?"

"I'm Daniel Jackson, and this is Teal'c."

The red-haired man looked over at a young, skinny boy and nodded. The boy nodded back and took off at a fast run through the trail in the forest.

"Allab will send word to O'Neill, if he wishes to see you, he will say so," the red-head told them, crossing his large, burly arms across his chest.

It only took a few minutes before the boy, Allab, came running back through the forest. Out of breath, the boy bent slightly over, resting his hands on his knees for a few seconds to catch his breath. "O'Neill says to bring them. He was quite pleased," the boy finally breathed out, his own excitement evident in his breathlessness.

Daniel grinned and nodded at Teal'c as two of the men escorted Teal'c and Daniel towards the forest.

Moments later, the forest opened up to reveal several small, wooden buildings, and right in the middle stood one retired colonel, Jack O'Neill.

"Daniel, Teal'c! Long time no see!" Jack exclaimed, a wide smile on his face as he walked up and embraced his old friends in a manly hug. "What brings you by, after all this time, to my little neck of the woods?"

Normally, seeing Jack again after all this time would have been a time to celebrate, and Daniel and Teal'c would have returned Jack's obvious jubilance to see them again. However, these were not normal times.

Hating himself for having to wreck Jack's good mood, Daniel cleared his throat and turned compassionate eyes up to his long-lost friend. "It's Sam, Jack."

Those three words plunged Jack's happy soul at finally seeing his friends again back down into the depths of despair. The smile disappeared from his face and shadows of fear replaced it. "What about Sam?" he croaked out, his voice broadcasting the fear that had quickly settled in his chest.

"She's gone, Jack," Daniel whispered, his own voice betraying him.

"Gone where?" Jack barked.

"Colonel Carter failed to return from battle, O'Neill," Teal'c announced.

"No," Jack moaned and covered his face with his hands. "She's dead?" he asked, his voice muffled from behind his hands.

"Her body was not recovered from the planet, however, we are under the assumption that is the case, O'Neill. Daniel Jackson and I both saw her fall in battle."

Jack groaned, desperately trying to keep the tears from falling. This could not be happening! Carter was invincible, damn it! She was invincible!

"There's more, Jack," Daniel broke into Jack's torment.

Jack lowered his hands and closed his eyes, turning his face up towards the sky. This could not be happening!

"She uh…..left you something…..in her will…..it's really important, Jack…..and you need to and…..get it," Daniel stuttered out.

"What?" Jack barked in irritation.

"I think you should come back with us," Daniel replied.

"Damn it, Daniel! I have a life here! I can't just leave these people, just tell me what the hell it is and _I'll _make the decision whether or not it's important!"

"It is your son, O'Neill," Teal'c's stoic voice sounded.

Jack's dark eyes turned to the jaffa. Scrunching up his face in confusion, he turned from Teal'c to Daniel's worried face, and back to Teal'c. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Sam had a son, Jack. Nine months after you returned to Edora," Daniel said, a slight hint of accusation in his voice.

Jack closed his eyes as long-pushed away memories assaulted his mind.

_He had been whistling through the corridors of the SGC, happy that his team had forgiven him for his time undercover to bring down the NID's off world operation. He had said some awful things and he had worried they would not be as forgiving and understanding as they had been._

_The klaxons sounded and he met up with Carter and General Hammond in the control room._

"_We're receiving the Edoran's IDC, sir," Sgt. Herriman had announced._

_General Hammond and Carter had both looked at him and he just shrugged. "Open the iris, sgt.," Hammond had ordered._

_The iris had opened and Laira had walked through. Looking over at Carter and Hammond, who were both staring at him, he shrugged again and then headed down to meet the woman who had accepted him when no one else on her world had._

"_Jack," she greeted, with a worried smile on her face. Her eyes fell on Carter for an instant as the major and general followed into the room behind him. Jack noticed the look of guilt that crossed the older woman's face before she turned her attention back to him._

"_Laira," he greeted and hugged her. "What brings you by?"_

"_I am sorry to disturb you. I know we went our separate ways, but I wanted you to be aware that I am carrying your child."_

_Jack's mouth dropped open and his ears easily picked up the sharp intake of breath from Carter standing behind him._

_Hammond had offered Laira accommodations and even a visit to the infirmary, but she had refused and only asked to be allowed back home. Her people were unaware of her trip to earth, and she wanted to get back before they realized she was gone._

_Jack had hugged her, holding her tighter than before, the knowledge that she had a part of him growing inside her creating a bond he couldn't explain. He told her he would come to see her in a few days and she returned through the gate._

_Jack didn't know what to do. On the one hand, he had a life, friends, family, everything he needed right here. On the other hand, Laira was carrying his child. His child. The chance to be a father again, to have a second chance, it was too great to walk away from. He made his decision._

_With a heavy heart, he had informed both Teal'c and Daniel of his decision to retire and move to Edora to be with his child. Both men were upset, but understood. Jack O'Neill had been a father, without a child, for many years. It was time for him to return to the role he was meant to be._

_Carter had left base right after Laira had arrived and had requested a few days of leave, so Jack had gone to her house to tell her good-bye._

_She opened the door after he knocked, her face puffy and blotchy, obvious signs that she had been crying. He took one look at her and his heart broke. He loved her. He really, truly did. He didn't know when his feelings of respect and comradeship had turned so dangerously into attraction and desire, but they had, a long time ago, and as the months and years passed, they had morphed into a deep love that he had fought everyday to hide from the rest of the world._

_And now, he was going to leave her. The woman he was in love with, albeit, she had no idea. As he stood on her doorstep, staring up into her blue, watery eyes, he knew he could never feel for Laira the way he felt for her. They had a connection he had never shared with anyone else. And, his heart cried for her. But, he had to leave. He had to be with his child. The need to be a father again was too great._

"_You're leaving," she whispered, knowing exactly why he was there._

_Jack licked his lips. "I'm sorry," he whispered back._

_Sam looked at him, unable to stop the tear that escaped her eye and ran down her cheek. "Me, too," she whispered, her voice catching as she tried to stop a sob from escaping._

_And then, Jack felt a fire flame up in his gut. A need he could no longer ignore. Cupping her face, he lowered his lips to hers and kissed her with all the passion he had been suppressing for the past couple years._

_And, much to his surprise, she returned his kiss with a passion of her own, and before either could say another word, he was in her house, the door was shut, and clothes were being removed._

_They had made love without a word passed between them. They both knew he was leaving, that their afternoon together, was just that, an afternoon together. A last chance to know the other intimately. And no words were needed._

_She had fallen asleep in his arms, and after holding her for much longer than he should have, he slowly scooted out from beneath her and dressed. Sitting on her bed, he gently brushed the hair from her face and gazed lovingly down at her sleeping form. "I love you, Sam," he whispered before kissing her lightly on the forehead and walking out of her life. _

"My son?" Jack's voice broke as he asked the question.

"Yeah, your son, Jack," Daniel's quiet, poignant voice confirmed.

"You're sure?" he asked, his face showing signs of shock.

"Well," Daniel started. "He looks a lot like you, and he acts a lot like you, and not to mention, Sam said he was yours and the DNA test proved it, so yeah, we're sure."

Jack closed his eyes and took in a deep breath of air, his body parts feeling numb and tingly at the same time. How could this be happening?

"Give me ten, I have to let the guys know what's going on," Jack whispered, his eyes still showing the pain that both Daniel and Teal'c had been feeling for days.

TBC...


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two………….

(Ignore any mistakes. I wrote this a long time ago, and I read over it, but I haven't edited it at all.)

An hour later, the three men were being poked and prodded in the infirmary. Returning to the SGC had been disheartening at best for Jack. So many times, for so many years, he had dreamed that his team, or any SG team for that matter, would find him and bring his sorry ass back home. But, in all the years he had been off-world, stuck, with no code to come home, no one came for him.

At first, there had been mining going on Edora and for the first couple months, he had access to earth. But, when the mining was halted, the mining crew had returned to earth and the connection had been severed. The Edoran's still had a GDO that had been given to them, and it sat in the town hall, so Jack had always felt like he had a way back to earth if he needed it.

After finding out Laira was not having his baby, and moping around uselessly on Edora for several months, Laira had told him she wanted him to return to his life, and eventually he agreed it was for the best. He knew he hurt her when he called Carter's name in his nightmares, and when he constantly rattled out stories of his missions and brought her name up time after time.

He didn't know how Laira knew of his feelings for his second-in-command, but he knew the woman was all too well-aware of them, and this made him feel even worse. Not just for hurting Laira, but for hurting Carter.

Unfortunately, right after Jack agreed to leave, a fire took the town hall, and the GDO was destroyed. His only chance of returning to earth had, literally, gone up in smoke.

After closing himself off and going into depression for weeks, he eventually started to consider ending his life. It was thoughts of his team, their disappointment in him if he ever did such a thing, that had forced those morbid thoughts from his mind. In place of ways to commit suicide, his mind started reeling off coordinates of old planets they had visited in the past.

It wasn't long after that before he left Edora and began roaming around to other worlds. He still checked in with Laira, still feeling somewhat responsible for her. He had met many people on his journey, all who wanted to see an end to the goa'uld, and when he remembered the coordinates to an uninhabited planet, he started building a place he could call his own, and many of the people he befriended had followed him there.

In all his time roaming from planet to planet, he constantly searched for anyone who would have a GDO or radio so he could call his home. But, no one did. And, even as he promised himself that he would never give up searching for a way home, he continued to make himself a new life with his new friends, waiting for his chance to go home again.

And now, that he was here, it just didn't seem right. It wasn't home. Not the home he was expecting. Because the one person he had dreamed of coming home to was no longer there.

"You about done, Doc?" Jack asked in a depressing voice.

"Yeah, you're good, colonel," Janet replied in an equally sad voice, looking up into the lost eyes of the former officer. "They're waiting for all of us in the briefing room. They're uh, they're," and here Janet's voice broke, the loss of her best friend still too great. She quickly swatted the tears from her eyes. "They have Sam's will….waiting for you to read."

Jack bit his bottom lip in order to keep from screaming. He could see the misery in the good doctor's face, and he assumed she could see his. This was bullshit! She shouldn't have died. This shouldn't be happening!

Closing his eyes and sighing, Jack stood up and headed to the dreaded reading.

Hammond greeted him somberly, not knowing any words to make the situation better. "Sit down, son," his strong, yet grief-filled voice ordered as he pointed to the seat directly across from the military officer who was obviously the lawyer put in charge of Carter's affairs.

The officer pressed a button on the recording device in the middle of the table and then looked over at Jack. "I'm Major Rick Meyers, Colonel Carter's military representative, and you are retired Colonel Jack O'Neill?"

"Yeah," Jack coughed out.

"Okay, then we shall begin. Most of Colonel Carter's will has already been read to the rest of the people in this room, however, it was Colonel Carter's request that they all be here with you during this reading."

"I understand, go on," Jack gruffly responded.

"Good. Colonel Carter has requested that all parental rights and responsibilities of Jacob Charles Carter be given to his biological father, Jack O'Neill. If O'Neill can not be found, or if he rescinds his rights, Major Dr. Janet Frasier will obtain custody of said child. As legal guardian, Jack O'Neill will have complete parental control of Master Carter and any decision to move the child will be his alone."

Jack understood that sentence for what it was. Carter was making sure no one would be able to stop him from taking their child off-world with him.

"If O'Neill accepts custody of Master Carter, he will also be given complete ownership of Colonel Carter's home and all belongings that have not been given to the other recipients of this will. If O'Neill does not accept custody, all ownership rights will be forwarded to Major Dr. Janet Frasier."

Jack nodded his head and tried to swallow the large lump that had stuck in his throat. He wanted this to be one of his horrid nightmares, he wanted this to all be fake, a big joke, something, because the belief that she, Carter, was gone, was too much for him to take. For so long he had her up on the highest pedestal imaginable, he had long-ago convinced himself that she would persevere through anything, that she was invincible. He had to, it was the only way he could live with himself after leaving her. And, now, the realization that she wasn't, the realization that he had failed her, was breaking into his heart, and it was too much to take. Thoughts of suicide were once again playing in his mind.

And, as Jack looked around the table at his long-lost friends, knowing in his heart, that he had failed them just as much as he had failed Carter, the thought of suicide could have won out, could have if at that very moment, a photograph of Carter's son, his son, their son, wouldn't have been slipped in front of him.

He fingered the photograph lightly as he looked at the smiling little boy, so much like Charlie had looked. He had short blonde hair, Carter's fair skin and his dark brown eyes. This was their son.

"When was this taken?" he asked in a soft voice.

"Oh, just a few months back, on his fifth birthday," Daniel quickly filled in.

Jack nodded, his eyes still memorizing every detail of the picture in his hands.

"He's at his house still, sir," Janet's gentle voice broke the heavy silence. "He knows Sam's missing, but he doesn't know any more than that. Cassie's there with him right now and all of us have been taking turns staying the night there so he doesn't have to leave his home."

Jack just nodded again, still unable to look up from the photo.

This time it was General Hammond's tender voice that broke the silence. "Colonel Carter made sure that in the event that something should happen to her, that you would be allowed to take Jake back to Edora with you, son."

Jack nodded again. "Can I….can I see him…..in person?"

"Of course," Hammond softly replied. "Dr. Jackson, Teal'c, why don't you both take him to Carter's house."

"It would be my honor," Teal'c announced, causing Jack to look at the dedicated man and smile warmly at him.

"Me, too," Daniel added and hopped up out of his seat.

Dr. Frasier stood up and turned to Jack. "Once Cassie sees you, you probably won't be able to get rid of her, she's missed you."

Jack smiled warmly at the petite doctor. "I've missed her too, doc, all of you," he softly got out, the despair still obvious in his eyes.

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The trip to Sam's house was mostly done in silence, but as Teal'c turned the military-issued SUV off of the main highway, Daniel turned to Jack in the back seat. "You should know, Jack, we never expected you to come back. We all thought you had started a new life with Laira and your child."

Jack looked at Daniel, squinting his eyes in a way that made Daniel tremble in fright of his old friend.

"Jake doesn't know anything about you, Jack. He knows his dad's name is Jack and that he lives far away and that is about it."

Jack just nodded at the archaeologist as a small degree of betrayal settled in his stomach. They hadn't told his son about him. They had just erased him from their lives that easily. Even knowing that it was his fault for leaving, he couldn't help but feel like his friends had betrayed him. They had merely shrugged off his absence and went on with their lives like he never existed.

The thought of grabbing his son and leaving everyone on earth behind once and for all was starting to actually sound like a viable option.

Teal'c slowed the SUV down as they turned on to a quiet suburban street. Jack looked around, not recognizing the neighborhood and asserting that Carter must have moved.

The SUV pulled over to the curb in front of a two story home with a large oak tree in the front yard.

"What's going on?" Jack asked as he watched the scene taking place in the front yard. Several children were assembled in the front yard and were yelling up at the oak tree, which Jack could now see, held a small tree fort.

Daniel chuckled. "Oh, that's just the normal crew of neighborhood kids."

Jack opened the back door, turning back to Daniel and Teal'c before getting out. "Could you guys, just give me a few minutes?"

They both agreed and Jack stepped out of the SUV and walked up the sidewalk.

"Who are you, mister?" a little girl asked.

"I'm Jack O'Neill, I'm looking for Jacob."

"You mean Jake? No one calls him Jacob. He's up in the fort and he won't let any of us in," the little girl told him, looking up at the fort above them with an angry look.

"Why not?" Jack asked.

"Cuz, Chase told him that his daddy said that his mommy is dead and he got mad and punched him in the nose and it started bleeding and now he thinks he's going to get in trouble, so he's hiding in the fort and won't come out or let us in and his mommy told him he had to share his fort with ALL of us," the girl rambled out to Jack's utter confusion.

"Wait, wait, let me get this straight. Chase?" Jack looked a little confused, having no clue what any of these kids' names were. "Told Jake that Jake's mom was dead?"

"Uh-huh! He said he heard his daddy say it and his daddy would know cuz he and Colonel Carter work together."

"What's Chase's dad's name?" Jack asked, planning a certain dressing-down with a certain officer.

"Colonel Hicks."

"Hicks? Brian Hicks? Little Major Brian Hicks?" Jack asked.

The little girl shrugged.

Just then, a little head poked out of the top of the fort and a child's voice rang out from above. "You ain't coming up so you all might as well go home!"

"Jake?" Jack yelled back up.

"Who the heck are you and why are you in my yard?" Jake yelled down.

"Uh, I came to see you," Jack stuttered out.

"You're a stranger!" the boy yelled. "Julie! Do you know him?"

The little girl, Julie, that had been talking to Jack shrugged again. "No."

"Then he's a stranger! I'm telling on you! You're talking to a stranger!"

Julie started crying. "You better not Jake or I'll tell on you when you lit Mrs. Henderson's cat's tail on fire!"

Jack lifted his eyebrows in surprise.

"You can't prove it!" Jake yelled back down.

"Uh-huh! His tail's still black!" Julie yelled back up, the other kids just watched the exchange between the two young children in amusement.

Jack ran a hand over his face. "Okay!" he yelled, "I've heard enough! Jake, I'm Jack. Jack O'Neill. I need you to come down here and talk to me."

"No!" Jake yelled down.

Jack felt his patience thinning and was regretting his decision to have Daniel and Teal'c wait in the car. "Why not?"

"Cuz, you're a stranger!" he yelled back down.

Jack groaned. "I just told you my name!"

"So what! If a strange man tells me his name, it doesn't mean he's no longer a stranger. Geez mister, who taught you about safety?"

Jack rolled his eyes and let out a short laugh. This was definitely Carter's kid. He looked around at the other kids and motioned for them to leave. After a few curious looks, they all finally did, all that is except for Julie who just glared at Jack with suspicion.

"Jake!" Jack yelled back up once the other kids were a good distance away.

"Go away!"

"Jake, my name is Jack O'Neill."

"So what?"

"Jake, I'm your dad!" Jack yelled back up.

"I don't have a dad, try again, stranger," Jake yelled back over the fort, then seeing only Julie left, started yelling at her again. "Julie, what are you doing? He's a stranger, he's going to kidnap you!"

Before Jack knew what the kid was doing, he disappeared and reappeared at the bottom of the fort where there was, apparently, a trap door. He threw out a rope ladder and yelled Julie's name.

Julie ran over and Jack watched as his son practically pulled the little girl up in to the tree fort. Once the little girl disappeared inside, the rope ladder was yanked up and the trap door slammed shut.

Jack ran his hand over his face again. How the hell was he supposed to get them out of the damned tree?

"Jake!"

Jack removed his hand at the sound of Daniel's voice. He looked over at his friend with a look of relief.

"Daniel! Help! There's a stranger trying to kidnap us! Get 'em! Sick Teal'c on him!" Jake yelled back down excitedly.

Daniel looked over at Jack in obvious amusement. It took everything the archaeologist had to keep the grin off his face. "Jake! He's not a stranger. This is Jack O'Neill, he's one of your mom's best friends, and is, your dad!"

The little boy's head shot back over the fort and he looked down at Jack in scrutiny. "What do you want?" he yelled back down.

Jack turned incredulous eyes to Daniel and Teal'c. He had never been this difficult as a child. Never!….okay, well maybe a little bit, but nothing compared to this kid. Jack cleared his throat in an attempt to hide his astonishment. "Uh, I wanted to talk to you."

"So talk!" Jake yelled down.

"Uh, I said talk, not yell. Why don't you come down here so we can talk in normal voices."

"Cuz I don't want to!"

Jack closed his eyes and sighed again. "Do you know when you will want to?" he tried.

"Nope, sorry about your luck, mister!"

"Jake!" Daniel yelled back up. "Come down here!"

"Ain't happening. Danny-boy, you might as well run along with the rest of them!" Jake yelled back down with a grin on his face. He was obviously having fun at the men's expense.

"Jacob Carter, it would be in your best interest to speak with your father on level ground," Teal'c tried.

Jake scrunched his little face up as he took in the three men on the ground. Julie leaned over and whispered something in his ear. "Julie says you two could've been brainwashed by the stranger."

Now it was Daniel who sighed in exasperation. "Jake, we are not brainwashed. He really is your dad!"

"Jake doesn't have a dad!" Julie yelled down.

"Everyone has a dad, Jack just lived far away and just now came back to town," Daniel tried.

"He could've brainwashed you when he got back to town," Jake yelled back down.

"We are not brainwashed!" Daniel yelled.

"That's what all brainwashed people say," Jake yelled back.

Daniel groaned in frustration and Jack grinned at the situation.

"What's so funny?" Daniel demanded.

Jack's grin grew. "Leave it to my kid to pick up annoying you in my absence."

Daniel rolled his eyes. "Yeah, you had nothing to worry about in that department, he definitely does as good of a job at it as you did."

"I can tell," Jack replied, the grin refusing to leave his face.

Just then, Cassie came walking out of the house to see what all the commotion was about. "Jack!" she screamed in glee as soon as her eyes settled on him. She rushed down the porch steps and dove into the arms of the former colonel. "I've missed you!" she cried in his shoulder.

"I missed you too, Cass," he softly told her, squeezing her in the bear-hug he always gave her. "You're all grown up."

Cassie stepped back and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Yeah," she told him, shrugging, "It happens."

Jack grinned and bopped her lightly on the nose in playfulness.

Cassie turned and took in the three large men in the front yard and the two small heads peeking over the top of the fort. "Jake," she yelled up towards the two small heads. "Come down here and meet your dad!"

"Okay," Jake replied and both heads disappeared.

A moment later, the trap door opened and the rope ladder fell down, followed by the two small occupants of the tree fort.

Jack looked at the two small children as they walked up to the group in disbelief. "Why'd you finally come out?" he asked in curiosity.

Jake shrugged his shoulders and rolled his eyes at the new man. "Cassie's the babysitter, d'uhhhh!" he told him and continued to walk up the steps and into the house.

Julie followed behind him, but stopped after Jake's words and looked up at Jack. "His mom told him he has to do whatever the babysitter says," she told the bewildered man, then ran up to join her friend inside.

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a/n: Does anyone really think I would kill off Carter for real?


	3. Chapter 3

a/n: Okay, so I should probably explain that I had originally started writing this story almost a year ago because I was reading a ton of stories where Jack finds out he has a kid and is welcomed, whole-heartedly, into the family, and I wanted to do something different. Thus, I started writing this story. Unlike most father/son reunion stories, Jake will not be warming up to Jack immediately. In fact, there is going to be a few blow-ups between them before we get to the end of this story. You'll see a little bit more of Jake's, er….cheeky personality in this chapter. Let's just say the kid's a handful.

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Jack, Cassie, Daniel and Teal'c followed the children into the house. Jack glanced around the large home, taking in everything he could, his heart shattering over losing Carter and at the same time, humming at being so close to her life once again.

A life that was no more.

"Uh, here is the living room, and the den is right back there. Jake usually plays in there. Sam has her computer set up in there as well. The kitchen's over here, and upstairs are the bedrooms and another bathroom. The laundry room is through there. Uhm, make yourself at home. Jake has his bedroom and a playroom on the second floor, and Sam's bedroom is next to his. There is a small bedroom that we've all been sharing since…..you know. Anyways, no one has been in Sam's room. But, I mean, you can….sleep in there if you want," Cassie rambled off, Jack only half-listening to her.

Bickering could be heard from the kitchen, and the adults stopped their "tour" of the house to go and see what the commotion was about.

"Who cares what you think, Julie! You're just a stupid girl."

"Huh! I'm telling, Jake! Take that back!"

"Girl, girl, girl. Julie's a stupid girl! Julie's a stupid girl!"

"I'm telling!" Julie cried.

"Jacob Charles, what are you doing?" Cassie barked at the young boy.

"Nothing," Jake replied, shrugging his tiny shoulders.

Jack lifted his eyebrows at the boy.

"Jake," Cassie warned.

Jake grumbled under his breath and threw Julie a dirty look that Jack immediately recognized as an O'Neill glare. "Julie thinks that Chase was right and my mom is dead."

Cassie closed her eyes and sighed. "Jake," she started, but the young boy's vulnerable voice cut her off.

"No she's not! Don't lie to me! She's not dead! You said so! You said she was missing! Don't say she's dead!"

Jack stood there in shock. The poor boy didn't know about his mom. They had done a memorial service at the SGC. They had read her will and contacted Jack, but no one had the guts to tell the poor child that his mother was more than likely gone forever.

"Jake, you're right, she is missing," Cassie's voice cut through Jack's thoughts. "But, she's been missing for awhile now, and we don't know where she is. The air force is presuming that she's…."

"NO!" Jake screamed. "She's not! You don't know that!"

"Jake," Cassie sighed, taking a step towards the distraught child.

"Leave me alone!" he wailed, tiny tears erupting in his eyes. "I hate all of you!" he cried and then ran as fast as his little legs would allow out of the room.

No one said anything as they heard his footsteps pound up the stairs and a door slam shut.

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It was Daniel who finally broke the silence in the kitchen. "Julie, why don't you run on home? I don't think Jake is going to want to play much today."

Julie nodded her small head and gave Jack one more suspicious look. As she passed by the adults, she turned and looked up at Jack. "Are you really Jake's dad?"

"Yes, I am," Jack said softly, his own eyes misting over as the words left his lips. He was a dad. He had a son.

Julie just nodded, accepting Jack's answer and continued her walk to the door.

"Do you…..want to talk to him, or should I?" Cassie's voice cut into the silence seconds later.

Jack cleared his throat, a look of dread flashing across his weathered face. "Uh, I guess I probably should."

Cassie nodded and gave Jack a comforting smile. "Okay. You can't miss his room," she told him. "I'll, uh, start a pot of coffee."

Daniel perked up at that, and immediately stepped into the pantry to retrieve the coffee grounds.

Jack walked up the steps and took in the second level. It was merely a hallway with doors lining the inner wall. The bathroom was at the top of the stairs, the door open. A quick peek inside revealed a large garden tub and a long granite counter with two sinks, among other bathroom necessities. There were three doors to the left of the bathroom, and two to the right. The first door on the left was narrower than the others, and Jack surmised it was the linen closet.

Glancing to the doors on the right, Jack noticed a large poster on one of the closed doors. He walked to the door, and held back a chuckle as he read the sign.

Jake's Room.

Unauthorized entrance will result in your doom.

This kid took drama to a whole new level.

Jack read the sign one more time before knocking on the door.

"Go away," Jake's voice permeated the closed door.

"It's me, Jack."

"I said, go away!" Jake's voice yelled back.

"I can't do that. We need to talk."

"No we don't."

"Yes we do."

"No we don't."

"Yes, we do. Damnit, Jake, open the door!" Jack ground out in frustration.

"Uhm, you swore! I'm telling!"

"Jake!" Jack barked, his face turning red in exasperation. "I'm coming in."

"I said no," Jake cried, but it was no use, Jack already turned the knob and walked into the boy's room.

Jake crossed his arms across his chest and glared up at his father. "What do you want?"

Jack sighed and ran a hand through his already disheveled hair. "Sit down, Jake," Jack softly ordered, waving at the young boy's bed.

Jake sat down, his arms still defiantly crossed, his bottom lip stuck out in a pout. "Are you here to take me away?"

"What?" Jack asked, surprised at the question.

Jake shrugged. "My mom is gone and now _you're_ here. Are you taking me away?"

Jack let out a long sigh, his hands coming up and covering his face as he sat down next to Jake on the bed. "I don't know. What do you want?"

"My mom."

Jack closed his eyes and pushed back his exasperation. "So do I, kiddo. So do I."

"I don't want to leave," Jake's small voice crackled.

"Okay, we'll stay then," Jack replied, and Jake lifted his eyes to his father's, the two O'Neill's sharing their first father/son moment.

The moment was interrupted a second later with the arrival of a large, yellow dog that came running into the room and jumping up on Jake's bed. "Cosmo!" Jake cheered happily, jumping on the dog.

Jack watched the dog and boy play happily in silence, until the dog looked at Jack with a predatory gaze.

Jack's eyes widened as the dog started growling at him. At first the growl was low, but as Jack continued to stare at the yellow lab, it grew louder and louder.

"Cosmo doesn't like strangers," Jake announced, completely unfazed with the dog's attitude.

"Well tell him I'm your dad," Jack whined.

Jake laughed. "He's just a dog. He won't understand."

Jack nodded and slowly stood up off the bed. "Well, I guess he'll just have to get used to me."

Jake nodded and turned to his dog. "Lay down, Mo!"

Cosmo's growl turned into a whine and he sprawled his hairy body out on the bed, his head resting on Jake's pillow in a humanly pose.

"You want to come down and talk with Daniel and Teal'c? I don't know how long they are staying."

Jake hopped off his bed. "Sure," he replied, and then strutted his small frame out the door.

Jack glanced one more time at the dog in the bed, and received another growl in response. Shaking his head, Jack quickly followed Jake out of the room.

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By the time Jack returned to the first floor, he was surprised to see that Janet had joined the group. She mumbled something about getting out of work early, and snuggled the five-year old who had launched into her arms at first sight.

Jack nodded at her excuse, a somber look on his face. He watched silently, as Jake came alive around the people who knew him. Janet ruffled his blonde hair and he beamed a Carter-smile at her. Daniel started teasing him, the five-year old not missing a beat as he harassed Daniel back just as much.

When he finally pulled out of Janet's arms, he ran and dove on Teal'c's back, the two immediately wrestling each other like any ordinary day.

This was Jake's family. Hell, it had been Jack's family years ago. Jake was happy with these people. Did Carter really think he would have just come back and taken Jake away? Granted, Carter thought Jack was happy on Edora, and his heart swelled knowing that Carter had wanted Jake to be with him upon her death, but still.

He couldn't break his son's heart. He couldn't take him away from the people he knew and loved.

Watching his son, so much like Charlie, so much like Carter, Jack knew in that moment what his ultimate decision was. His son. He would do anything for him. Even if it meant never seeing the men he left behind on his planet.

Jack was staying on earth……..with his son.

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	4. Chapter 4

-1a/n: I wanted to edit this chapter a little before posting, but I forgot to do it Friday, and I don't want to keep holding off posting it, so you get it as is.

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Jack woke up with a sharp pain in his neck. Moaning, he bunched up his shoulders and twisted his neck around, trying to relieve the throbbing. Squinting his eyes open, the view of the living room greeted Jack.

Not yet ready to venture into Carter's room, Jack had opted, instead, to sleep on the very uncomfortable sofa in the living room. Daniel had spent the night and crashed in the guest room upstairs where Cassie had said they had all been sleeping.

Jack ran his hands over his face and then glanced at his wristwatch, surprised that it was already after eight o'clock. He didn't know what he was supposed to do now. Janet and Cassie had left last night after giving Jake a bath and putting him to bed, and Teal'c had left even earlier than that after he received a call from the SGC. Daniel had been more than happy to stay, but after a silent half hour, where neither Jack nor Daniel really knew what to say to the other, Daniel had yawned and made his excuse to hit the sack.

Jack stood up off the couch and stretched, his long, fit body tensing and burning as he pulled his muscles awake. He walked towards the downstairs bathroom and was greeted with, what was becoming, a very familiar growl.

Jack looked over at Cosmo, laying on the floor in front of the backdoor, growling, his teeth showing slightly as his doggy lips trembled with his snarl. Jack rolled his eyes, somewhat annoyed that there was a dog out there that didn't like him right away. He walked towards the dog, the growl getting stronger as he approached.

Without saying a word, Jack opened up the backdoor and the growling stopped immediately. Cosmo jumped up, wagged his tail, and ran out into the backyard.

Jack smiled. "I'll win you over yet," he said softly, and then hurried to the bathroom to relieve himself.

A few minutes later, Jack walked into the kitchen and took in the sight of his five-year old son, standing on the kitchen counter, reaching up for a glass on one of the high shelves. "Whatcha' doing, squirt?" he asked.

"Don't call me squirt."

"Oh, uh, okay," Jack stuttered out and then walked over to him. He grabbed the boy under his arms and lifted him down to the floor. "So then, whatcha' doing, Jake?"

Jake rolled his eyes and walked to the refrigerator, where he pulled out a carton of orange juice. "Getting breakfast, duhhhhh. What does it look like?"

Jack licked his bottom lip in contemplation and watched as the scrawny kid struggled to carry the full carton of orange juice to the table. Both of his little hands were wrapped around the handle, and the plastic, one gallon container bobbed against his stomach, while his face was scrunched up as he used all his strength to get the juice to its destination.

"Need any help?" Jack asked, humor evident in his voice.

Jake glared up at this strange man in his kitchen who claimed to be his father. "No, I'm not a baby!" Jake spat back, then unscrewed the top and poured juice into the glass he had gotten down from the cupboard.

He missed the cup at first, spilling juice all over the table, where it ran down the side and dripped in a steady stream onto the floor. After moving the carton a fraction to get it in the cup, Jake mumbled as the cup tilted over and fell on its side. He picked the cup up and tried again, this time making it into the cup.

Jack stood back and watched with his arms crossed over his chest. He could have intervened and helped, but something inside him told him that this was something Jake needed to do on his own. That the boy needed some independence in the wake of his mother's death. He needed to know that he didn't have to rely on someone else for everything.

A huge part of Jack was proud of his son. Proud of the independent, smart young boy before him. And then, an even bigger part of Jack felt extreme sorrow that this young, vulnerable, five-year old boy, felt like he needed to learn to take care of himself already.

Jake put the cap back on the juice and left it on the table while he took his seat in front of his already-made bowl of cereal. Jack noticed that there was also a nice puddle of white milk on the table, and assumed Jake had the same trouble pouring the milk into the bowl that he had with the juice.

Shaking his head slightly, Jack walked over and picked up both the milk and the juice and returned them to the refrigerator. Then, he grabbed the dishcloth from the sink and proceeded to clean up Jake's mess.

Jake completely ignored Jack and continued about eating his honey-nut cheerios.

"So, what do you want to do today?" Jack finally asked when he was done cleaning and took a seat opposite Jake.

Jake looked up at his dad with an incredulous look on his face. "What planet have you been on? I have to go to school."

Jack cringed slightly at the planet comment. His son didn't know about the stargate, and the comment had been completely innocent, but still Jack didn't fail to see the irony in it. "School?"

"Yeah, duh! What kind of dad are you?" Jake asked contemptuously.

"What time does school start?" Jack asked, ignoring the boys rude remarks.

"Nine," Jake replied as he spooned another bite of cereal into his mouth.

Jack's eyes widened. "Nine? It's almost nine now!"

Jake shrugged his shoulders. "Guess you should've gotten up sooner."

Jack sighed loudly in exasperation as Daniel stumbled into the kitchen.

"No coffee?" Daniel whined groggily.

Jack glared at his long-time friend. "Did you know Jake had school today?"

Daniel squinted his eyes, still obviously half-asleep, and cocked his head to the side. "Uh, yeah, I think he does. He's in kindergarten, right?" Daniel asked Jake, looking over at the small boy as a yawn escaped his mouth.

Jake smiled at Daniel and nodded. "Uh-huh."

"Well then, we need to get you dressed," Jack announced, standing up.

"I AM dressed," Jake argued.

Jack looked at the small boy wearing a red t-shirt and green sweatpants. "You can't go to school dressed like that."

"Yes, I can."

"Green and red don't match," Jack argued back.

"Yes, they do," Jake replied.

"No, they don't.:"

"Yes, they do."

"Only for Christmas!" Jack sniped, his hand going up on his hip as he squared off against the miniature version of himself and Carter.

"I like Christmas," Jake replied.

"It's no where near Christmas," Jack announced.

"I don't care."

Jack scrubbed his face with his hands, and then proceeded to rub them up through his already disheveled hair. Standing up to his full six foot three inch height, Jack glared down at the defiant child and barked in his best colonel voice. "You are going upstairs and changing into appropriate clothes. Do you understand?"

Jake glared his father down. "You can't tell me what to do!"

"The hell I can't! Whether you like it or not, I AM your father! You will obey me, do you understand?"

Jake glared heatedly at his father, his tiny body tense with anger. Jack stared right back, refusing to back down. Daniel watched from the coffee pot, completely awake and darting his eyes back and forth between father and son.

All of a sudden, Jake's face scrunched up and reddened and the little boy burst out in tears. "I want my mommy!" he cried like never before. The grief finally catching up with him after so many weeks of pushing it away.

Jack dropped to his knees, ignoring the pain that shot through them, and gathered his son in his arms.

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Needless to say, Jake was late for school. Almost an hour after school had begun, Jack and Jake walked into the large kindergarten classroom. Jack introduced himself to Jake's teacher while Jake walked to the back of the room and hung his backpack up on his peg. The boy solemnly walked to his desk and took a seat, ignoring all the other kids who were saying "hi," to him and asking why he was late.

After talking briefly with his teacher, Jack left the classroom, giving one last fleeting look at his son, and headed out of the school building. He was approaching Carter's car when he heard a woman's voice calling him.

"Colonel O'Neill?"

Jack turned around and greeted a pretty woman with curly brown hair and dancing green eyes. "Yes?"

The woman smiled. "Hi, I'm Carol. Julie's mom."

Realization dawned in Jack's eyes and he smiled. "Oh, it's a pleasure to meet you, Julie's quite a….character."

Carol laughed, her curls bouncing gently on her shoulders and Jack felt a sudden stirring in his groin. It had been so long since he had been with a clean, well-kept earth-woman, and his body was telling him that now. "Yes, she told me all about you trying to get them out of the tree fort."

Jack grinned back at the woman. "Did she tell you that she told Jake I had brainwashed everyone into believing that I was Jake's dad?"

Carol giggled and covered her mouth with her well-manicured hands. "Yes, but in her defense, the whole brainwashing thing was actually something that was started months ago by YOUR son."

"Oh?" Jack asked, his eyebrows lifting.

Carol took a deep breath, trying to stop the laughter that wanted to erupt. "Yes, well you see, a few months back, Jake got in trouble at school and when Sam came to pick him up…."

Jack's face fell slightly at the thought of Sam, only months ago being in the same position he was in now. Taking their son to school, talking with his friends' parents."

Carol continued, not noticing the grave look that had swept across Jack's face. "She talked with his teachers and then took him home. She didn't punish him like he was expecting, so he became convinced that Sam was an imposter and his mom was being held somewhere against her will. To make a long story short, Jake convinced Julie and in turn, they convinced the rest of the neighborhood kids that all the adults had been turned into pod people."

Jack laughed out loud. "Pod people?"

Carol grinned widely. "Oh yes, it took us weeks to convince them otherwise. In fact, it was Teal'c who finally convinced them. I don't know what he told them. He gathered them all up in Sam's backyard, and when they left, they no longer believed we were pod people."

Jack grinned proudly at the thought of his jaffa-friend being the one to get the children to see reason. "Teal'c huh?"

"Yes, well really it was his fault to begin with. Every Saturday he goes over to Sam's and he and Jake spend the night watching sci-fi movies. It's a tradition now, even Julie joins them once in awhile."

Jack smiled. "Yeah, Teal'c always did like those sci-fi shows."

Carol laughed and gave Jack a knowing look. "I can understand why."

Jack cocked his head at her. "Oh?"

Carol's smile spread across her face before she pursed it back and shrugged. "I was given clearance a year ago after I was witness to a few strange…..phenomena around the Carter house."

"Really?" Jack asked in surprise. "What happened?"

Carol smirked at Jack. "Sorry, I'm not allowed to say."

Jack cocked his head to the side. "You know who I am, right?" he half-pleaded.

Carol shrugged. "Let's just say that some of Sam's work followed her home and leave it at that, okay?"

Jack smirked this time and nodded. "Okay."

Carol sized Jack up one more time, admiring the handsome man before her. Sam was her friend and the two women had grown close in the years Sam had lived in the neighborhood. Would it be wrong if she asked Jack out? They weren't married. Jack was only back in town because of Sam's death. Sam had confided in her about Jack, and Carol knew that Jack had left her for another woman, and Sam had never truly gotten over the father of her son. But, Sam was gone now. It was okay for Carol to go after Sam's man, right?

Before she could come to a decision, Jack spoke up from in front of her. "Would you like to go someplace and have coffee?"

Carol smiled. "I'd love to."

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The battered and bruised woman ran as fast as she could through the brush. Her arm and chest throbbed with pain from the burning staff wound in her shoulder and her legs screamed for her to stop as her mind screamed to go on. Her bare feet were red with blood from the scratches and gouges of running through the rough terrain, but she would not stop. She would not give up. She had escaped, and she sure as hell didn't go through all that for nothing.

She didn't know how long she had been a prisoner. Her torture sessions and resurrections in the sarcophagus had dulled her mind, leaving her clueless as to how much time had passed, and even to all that she had endured at the end of a pain stick.

She clutched at her stomach as another stab of pain shot through her body. Damn addiction! She had only been out of the sarcophagus for two days and already her body was shutting down from withdrawal.

Shouts could be heard in the distance, and her eyes took on a look of pure determination as she ran with all her might towards the stargate. The naquada in her blood was pounding in her veins, showing her the way to her salvation.

The stargate loomed ahead and she didn't lessen her pace as she stumbled up to the DHD. Her mind rambled off different coordinates, different friendly planets that could help her get home even without her GDO. But, one set of coordinates flashed in her mind and refused to leave.

In all her misery, one man's face had continuously flashed before her, and as she frantically pressed the symbols, igniting the stargate into action, her mind and body screamed at her to go to him, that he would take all her pain away.

Running on pure adrenalin, she lunged for the open wormhole, her mind buzzing and shutting down the moment she crossed the event horizon.

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"Come quickly!," Jaron shouted from the edge of the village. "A woman has just come through the stargate and she is in need of the doctor!"

Several people in the village jumped and ran after Jaron. Sure enough, a woman's badly beaten body lay crumpled in front of the large ring. "Where's the doctor?" someone shouted just before the doctor finally pushed his way through the crowd.

He knelt down beside the woman and turned her gently over so he could assess her injuries.

A woman behind him gasped and he turned to see what was wrong. "What is it, Laira?"

"We must find Jack," Laira replied, her eyes wide in worry for the lifeless body of Major Carter before her.

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a/n: Don't hate me for the Carol thing. They won't become anything more than friends, I promise.


	5. Chapter 5

a/n: I meant to post this two days ago, but I've been super busy with very little computer time, sorry. Hopefully, I'll be able to post the next chapter first thing Monday. Also, I didn't get to proofread this, so ignore any mistakes. I'll go over it Monday and fix any mistakes I find. Thanks.

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Jack smiled warmly at the pretty woman sitting in front of him and sipped his coffee. She was going on and on about Julie and Jake and Jack was enjoying hearing the stories about his son and his friend.

Carol was……gorgeous. It had been so, so long since Jack had been in the company of a clean, well-groomed, attractive woman. The few females on his planet were already mated and were completely unattractive to Jack. Coming from earth, Jack was used to woman who showered everyday and brushed their hair often. The women on his new planet, well, they were a bit more primitive.

Jack glanced at Carol's well-manicured and polished fingernails as she held her Styrofoam cup in her hand. It felt so good to be around an earth-woman again, to feel his body reacting in the natural way it was supposed to. He had been practically celibate the last few years. Sure, he got urges, and normally he took care of them himself. However, every so often, he just couldn't deny his body the feel of a woman.

That's when he would return to Edora and visit Laira. Yeah, he felt guilty about it. He was using her, and she knew it. He also knew that she felt guilty about taking away his former life, and out of that guilt, she happily welcomed him to her bed.

He would please her, and take away some of her guilt, even if just for the moment. And, she would please him and relieve the tension he desperately needed released. But, afterwards, when he dressed and told her good-bye, the guilt, it always took back over. It wasn't how it was supposed to be. It was never how it was supposed to be.

Jack never should have left earth.

Carol said something to him and batted her eyelashes and Jack grinned at her obvious flirtation. He shifted closer to her and started flirting back, the familiar excitement of coming on to a woman and having her return the affection filled his body. This was great! It had been so long since he flirted with a woman. And, he missed it.

He missed walking up behind Carter and whispering something silly in her ear before a mission. He missed brushing her bangs out of her face after a tough practice fight in the gym where they both ended up out-of-breath and sweaty. He missed watching her during debriefings, and then quickly looking away when she caught him. He missed teasing her mercilessly about all the men she had at her beckon call. He missed……….

He missed Carter.

He looked back up at the woman in front of him, still blissfully going on about something or other. She wasn't Carter. She never would be. And even if Carter was gone, he still hadn't resolved that part of his life. He had a son, with a woman he had loved, and now he needed to come to terms with what Carter was to him so that he could find closure, so that Jake could find closure, and they both could finally move on.

"Uh, Carol," he cut in, his voice raspy from his sudden onslaught of emotion.

Carol stopped talking and cocked her head at Jack, a gesture silently telling him to go on.

"This has been nice, but I really need to get back."

"Oh, okay. Well, I'm sure, uhm, we can do this again, right?" she asked, a hopeful look on her face.

Jack swept the end of his tongue out to run along his bottom lip. "I'd love to," he told her, and keeping eye contact, continued, "as friends."

Carol bit down on the insides of her mouth. "Friends?" she repeated, a dejected look crossing her pretty face.

Jack nodded.

"Because of Sam?" she asked in a quiet voice, her eyes full of curiosity.

Jack looked away quickly and then built up the courage to look back at her. He nodded again, his eyes staying glued on the floor. "Yeah."

Carol nodded in disappointed understanding. "You did love her?"

Jack's head shot back up in surprise. Why would she even assume that he hadn't? For crying out loud, they had a son together! Of course he loved her! He wouldn't just have a child with anyone………

Except, that's exactly what he had thought he had done with Laira. He knew he wasn't in love with her when he slept with her.

He had thought he was stranded on Edora, and he had been devastated. When Laira had asked him to give her a child, the thought of being a father again was the only thing he could think of that could bring him out of the despair he felt. And so, he had done it, just the once. But, then again, he had only slept with Carter once, too.

But the difference in the two nights was immensely vast in Jack's eyes. With Laira, he had been drunk, and depressed. And, he was trying to get over his despair and accept the new life he had been stuck with. But, with Carter…… With Carter, he had been in love. He knew it would only be the one time, he knew he was leaving the woman he truly loved behind, but he just couldn't leave her without showing her how much she truly meant to him. Where with Laira, it had merely been about repressing his demons in a drunken night of fornication, with Carter, it had been about making love to the woman he cared about most in the universe.

With Carter, it hadn't been about repressing his demons, it had been about freeing them.

He wouldn't change his night with Carter for the world.

With a sad, soft voice, Jack replied. "I've loved her for a very long time."

And then he saw the one thing on her face that he hated seeing aimed at him.

Pity.

He watched her lick her lips and give him a small smile. "She loved you too. She never stopped."

A hard lump formed in Jack's throat, and he fought to breathe around it. He sized up the woman in front of him, taking in her words, squinting his intense dark eyes at her. Just when she was sure she was going to start to fidget under his gaze, she heard his deep, throaty whisper. "Thank you."

She nodded at him. "We should probably go," she hoarsely got out.

And Jack agreed whole-heartedly.

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Jake came home from school in a bad mood. He threw his bag on the floor and then sulked on the couch, glaring at anyone who entered the den.

Cassie had taken over for Daniel that afternoon, and both she and Jack gave each other perplexed looks at Jake's behavior.

"You alright, Jake?" Jack asked from just outside the den, not wanting to enter it after Cassie had done so and been screamed at by the five-year old.

"I'm fine, go away."

Jack pursed his lips together, but did not move. "Why don't you tell me what's wrong?"

"Cuz I don't want to," Jake replied icily.

"It might make you feel better if you do."

"It might make YOU feel better," Jake snarled.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Jack asked defensively.

Jake jumped off the couch, walked over to Jack at the door, and punched him as hard as he could in the stomach.

Jack arched forward, a bit in surprise, and a bit in pain. The boy had a good arm.

"What the hell was that for?" Jack barked.

"For leaving my mom!" Jake screamed and then ran out of the house.

"Jake!" Cassie yelled, chasing him out the door. When she saw him run up and into Julie's house, she knew he would be safe, and she turned to check on Jack. "Are you okay?"

Jack nodded, still clutching his stomach with a shocked look on his face. "I guess I deserved that."

Cassie shook her head. "He doesn't know, Jack. He had no idea about what went on back then. Sam would never tell him anything. Only that you lived far away and that you both made him out of love."

Cassie's words washed over Jack. Knowing that Carter felt the same amount of love that night that he did, comforted and hurt him at the same time. He never should have left. He never should have let Laira leave the SGC without an ultrasound. He never should have left Carter behind.

He deserved the punch his son had given him……..and so much more.

When the phone rang a few minutes later, Cassie walked over and picked it up, already assuming it was Carol calling about Jake.

Jack wandered around the house aimlessly while Cassie talked on the phone. Without realizing where he was going, Jack found himself in front of Carter's bedroom door. Sucking in a deep, trembling breath. Jack turned the knob and pushed open the door.

The room was surprisingly bright, with the sun shining brightly in the large window with the curtains pulled back. Her bed was made neatly and her dresser and nightstand held several frames of photos. Jack walked over and sat on her desk, his eyes immediately taking in the baby picture of Jake sitting next to her alarm clock on the bedside table.

Jake looked to only be a few months old. He was on his stomach, looking up at the camera with a drooling smile on his face. He was completely naked except for a scrap of long, white fabric that was stretched over his butt. Jack smiled warmly at the picture, trying to imagine what Jake must have been like as an infant. Immediately, an image of Sam, holding a newborn baby and smiling lovingly at him popped in his head, and Jack felt the biggest amount of regret yet.

Sighing, Jack glanced at the other photos on the dresser. Many of them were photos he had seen before. Pictures of Sam and Mark as kids. Pictures of Sam's parents. A photo of Jacob in his tok'ra gear. There were also a few new ones of the gang. A few with Jake in them. A large photo caught Jack's attention, and he knew he wanted a copy of it.

It was Sam and Jake, and it looked to be pretty recent. Jack jumped off the bed and walked over and picked up the frame. Sam and Jake were smiling at the camera. Jake looked to be sitting on her lap, with his back against her front. Sam looked beautiful, just like always. Her hair was still short, her eyes were still bright, and Jack's heart still skipped a beat as he looked at her.

He was still holding the picture when Cassie walked cautiously in the room. She looked around sadly, and Jack remembered that no one had been in the room since Carter's death.

"That was Julie's mom. She says that Jake's calming down at her house. Julie told her that Chase and some older kids were teasing Jake on the playground today at school telling him that his dad only came to town because his mom died and that you never wanted anything to do with him or his mom."

"Damn it," Jack hissed. "I'm really starting to hate this Chase kid."

Cassie nodded. "Me too."

"Do I need to go get him?"

Cassie shook her head. "No, he's pretty mad at you right now. I think it's best if we let him spend the night with Julie. Carol already said it was okay, and I can run some clothes down there for him for school tomorrow."

Jack nodded and scrubbed his hands over his face and hair. Looking back up, he glanced around the room and then met Cassie's eyes. "We need to start going through this stuff soon."

Cassie swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded. "Yeah, I'm just not ready yet," she told the man, her eyes filling with unshed tears.

Jack nodded somberly back at her. He wasn't ready either.

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Laira dipped the cloth in the cool water and dabbed it on Major Carter's face and forehead again. She sighed deeply, taking in the unconscious woman before her. The doctor had left only minutes ago, ordering Laira to keep vigil over the patient for the night. Her injuries were severe, and the Edoran medicine was no where near advanced enough to heal the earth woman. They were doing all they could to keep the warrior stable, but until Jack returned and took her to a more advanced culture, Major Carter was on her own at healing her injuries.

Laira looked up when two men entered the room. "Garan, where is Jack?" she asked, expecting to see the colonel with them.

"He was not there. His people said two men came through their stargate and took him back to earth yesterday. Jack said he would get in touch with them soon, but until then, they have no way of contacting him."

Laira closed her eyes and sighed. Daniel and Teal'c.

She had completely forgotten about their visit the day before. She should have known Jack would return to earth with them.

It looked like Major Carter was on her own to heal.

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a/n: Carter is a colonel now, but Laira doesn't know that, so she refers to her as Major Carter. Just FYI in case anyone caught on to the rank change.


	6. Chapter 6

a/n: I thought I already posted this chapter, but somehow, I must've forgotten. I'm sorry. Forgive me? Also, this is the last of my already-written chapters and so I don't know when I will get the next one out. Hopefully this week? It's a busy time of the year, so I can't make any promises, sorry. I wanted to edit this, I really didn't care for this chapter that much, but it's hard to edit something that was written awhile ago without just deleting it and starting over, and I REALLY don't have the time to do that! I hope you like it anyways.

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While Jake was at school the following day, Jack prepared himself for the next confrontation with his son. He had borrowed Carter's car again and gone to Daniel's apartment after talking to the archaeologist briefly on the phone.

The apartment was empty when he got there, but Jack used the key Cassie had given him and quickly entered his old friend's home. The smell of dusty books and stale coffee permeated the small living quarters and Jack let a small smile grace his face over the familiar setting.

He went to the spare bedroom and opened the closet. After seeing the mess inside, Jack sighed heavily and then started pulling out boxes and books until he found the box he was looking for. He pulled it down and set it on the small bed. Taking off the lid, he peered inside at his possessions he hadn't seen in much too long of a time.

He felt his eyes moisten, but was sure it was from the dust circulating in the room and not because of his turbulent emotions. After fingering several items, his eyes rested lovingly on a photo of Charlie in his baseball uniform. Jack closed the lid and quickly shoved everything else back in the closet. Picking up the box, Jack left Daniel's apartment, his mind already spinning on what he was going to share with his son.

Jake walked in the front door of his house and dropped his backpack on the floor. "I'm hungry!" he complained, turning towards the kitchen.

"Wait, Jake!" Jack said, walking over to his son. "I want to talk to you first, then we'll eat. Come in here and have a seat."

Jake glowered at his father, but did what he was told. He walked over and plopped his small frame in the seat, the brooding action making Jake seem so much bigger than he actually was.

Jack cleared his throat and sat down next to the boy. Bending over, he picked the box up, the lid already off, and set it on his other side. He had gone through the box earlier and already had it all sorted out. Picking up a photo, Jack stared at it for a few seconds before handing it to Jake.

"This is my favorite photo of your mother and I." The photo was taken outside and Jack had his arm around Sam's shoulders and she had her arm around his waist, they were looking at the camera and grinning like fools. Jack remembered the day clearly. It was just after the goa'uld had left their planet after agreeing to include Earth in the Asgaard's Protected Planets Treaty. Because Jack had been beamed away by Thor during Carter's promotion ceremony, he decided to throw a party for her at his house and bar-be-que.

The day had been a blast, and one of his fondest memories. He and Carter had left work at work and were completely friendly with each other all day. Being with her, no thoughts of rank pushing them away, he had been like a schoolboy. Teasing and touching her whenever he could get away with it. He had tickled her and wrapped his arms around her and dipped her as a joke, in which she had shrieked and smacked him playfully in the chest. Looking back, it was that day that his craving to have Carter as more in his life than a mere colleague and friend had really taken root.

Jake looked at the picture of his parents without saying a word. Jack handed him a few more photos.

"These are pictures of your mom and I at work. See our uniforms? I was your mom's boss, her commanding officer. We weren't allowed to be together because of that….. But, I still loved her, and still wanted to be with her very much." Jack's voice had dropped and hollowed out significantly towards the end of his speech, and Jake had noticed and gazed up at his father.

"You loved my mom?" he asked in disbelief.

"Very much," Jack told him, looking his son straight in the eyes. "I still do. I always will."

Jake dropped his gaze to his lap and nodded. His mom had always told him that she loved his father and that his father loved her, but to Jake, they had only been words. He didn't know his father then, had never met the man once. Back then, he didn't care what his father's feelings were, because back then, his father was only a name, nothing more.

Until now.

Now, Jake's father was here, and no more just a name. Now, what his father felt for his mother meant everything to Jake. Did his parents really love each other? And if so, then why did he leave them?

As if reading Jake's mind, Jack continued. "I left because I had a responsibility elsewhere. Your mom understood this, and even though we both hated it, I wouldn't be who I am if I didn't go. To me, there was no other choice."

Jack paused for a minute, his throat tightening and becoming unbearably uncomfortable.

"I missed your mom so much. She was on my mind all the time, every day, every minute. When I couldn't take it anymore, I tried to come home, but I couldn't. Something happened and I was stranded. As much as I wanted to come back home to your mom, I couldn't. I was stuck. Daniel and Teal'c rescued me and brought me back. That is why I am here now." Jack looked at Jake's large, rounded eyes. "I've always wanted to be here, Jake."

"You were stranded on like, a desert island?" Jake asked in awe.

Jack smiled. "Something like that. Except there were other people there too, so I wasn't all alone, and they actually lived there. I was the only one who wasn't home."

Jake nodded and Jack noticed the softening of his features as the scowl that had been so prominent on the small boy's face since he met him, receded to nothing.

"Can I eat now?" Jake asked.

Jack chuckled. "Sure, what do you want? Peanut butter and jelly, ham and cheese?"

"Hot dogs!" Jake exclaimed.

Jack laughed again and raised his eyebrows. "Hot dogs, huh?"

Jake jumped up off the couch and set all the photos but one on the coffee table. "Can we frame this one and put it on the wall?" he asked, handing the photo of Sam and Jack at his house back to him.

Jack looked lovingly at the photo, his thumb brushing gently over Carter in the picture. "Sure we can, squirt, sure we can," he told him and then followed the eager boy to the kitchen for hot dogs.

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The rest of the gang stayed away for the next few days, letting Jack and Jake get to know each other without any interference from any of them. It was a lazy Sunday afternoon and Jack was picking up the few toys and dishes that had accumulated over the weekend.

He walked by the den and saw Jake sprawled out on the floor, his head resting comfortably on Cosmo's sprawled out body. He had two action figures in his hands, and was playing quietly with them, totally oblivious to his father gazing amusedly at him. Shaking his head, Jack smiled and continued his trek to the kitchen.

The kitchen was a disaster. The two of them had been having so much fun watching hours and hours of Simpson episodes that Jack had missed while off-world, and playing board games as well, that he had let the kitchen get overloaded with dirty dishes.

Sighing, Jack opened up the dishwasher, and started shoving the dirty dishes inside. When he couldn't fit anymore in, he washed the few remaining dishes in the sink and then wiped down the counter and the table, which was somehow covered in a thin layer of maple syrup.

After sweeping the floor and taking out the trash, Jack walked back towards the den to ask Jake if he wanted to go out for ice cream. But, when he got there, he saw the action figures laying on each side of him and the young boy fast asleep on his dog. Smiling warmly, Jack fetched a small blanket and laid it over his son. Cosmo watched his every move, but for once, didn't growl at him.

As Jack walked back out to the front room, he heard the doorbell ring, and he quickly made his way to it before the noise woke up Jake.

"General Hammond," Jack said in shock as he opened the door to his former commanding officer. "What are you doing here?" he asked at the same time that he motioned for the older man to come inside.

General Hammond walked inside. "I hear things are going better around here, Jack."

"Uh, yes, it took a little bit, but I think I'm winning him over."

Hammond grinned at Jack. "He's as stubborn as you."

Jack laughed and the two men walked to the living room. "Can I get you something to drink?"

"Oh, no thanks. I just came from lunch with my granddaughters. I just wanted to stop by and see how things were going. Where is the little guy?"

"Asleep," Jack answered, taking a seat on Carter's easy chair. "I'm glad you stopped by, sir. I wanted to ask if I could see the mission reports for Carter's last mission."

"What for?" Hammond asked nonchalantly.

Jack raised his eyebrows and thought about it for a second before replying. "Closure."

George nodded in understanding. "Why don't you stop by the mountain one day this week while Jake's at school. There are a lot of people who want to see you again. You said something about wanting to touch base with your people too. I can have the mission reports ready for you when you get there."

Jack's face lit up with excitement. "Yes sir, that sounds like a plan. How about tomorrow?"

"Works for me," Hammond said with a grin.

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Laira was preparing supper in the kitchen when she heard a moan. At first, she thought it was just the wind, but the second time, she was sure it was human. The third time, realization struck, and she dropped the plate she had in her hand. It shattered on the floor, but she simply jumped over it and rushed to the room that housed the injured Major Carter.

"Major Carter?" she practically yelled, kneeling down beside the bed and picking up the cloth from the washbowl. She dabbed Sam's forehead and the major moaned again. "Major Carter, can you hear me? Please open your eyes."

What seemed like an eternity later, two small blue orbs appeared under heavy eyelids and looked at the woman caring for her in confusion.

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a/n: The image of Jake laying on the dog was what created this whole story in the first place. My four-year old son used to always lay on our dog like that and play with his toys, and one day when I saw him doing that, Jake was born. Jake is in no way modeled after any of my kids, it was just that particular image at that particular moment that sent my mind whirring into story mode. (Just thought I'd share.) And, ooh, Sam will be home soon!


	7. Chapter 7

a/n: Short chapter, but hey, better than nothing? Right?

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"Bye, dad!" Jake yelled at the door after Julie's mom pulled in the driveway and honked.

"Bye, sport," Jack replied, hurrying to the door to see his son off for school. "Remember, you're playing at Julie's today until I get back from the mountain. I don't know how long I'll be there today."

Jake nodded and turned to give his dad a serious look. ""You're going to go find out what happened to mom, aren't you?"

Jack dropped his head towards his son. "That's the plan," he said in a soft voice.

Jake just nodded and walked out the door. He was beginning to trust the man who claimed to be his father, and even as smart as Daniel was, and as strong as Teal'c was, something told Jake that it was Jack O'Neill who could bring his mom back to him.

Jake briskly walked down the path and hopped into the backseat of Miss Carol's car. After he was all buckled in, Carol backed out of the driveway, meeting Jake's eyes briefly as she turned to look out the back window as she reversed. "You seem to be getting along better with your dad, Jake."

"Yup," was Jake's only reply, his eyes intently gazing out the side window at his father, standing at the front door waving. Everyone had given up on his mom. Everyone but him. He was going to go find her. Together, they would get Jake's mom back.

No, his dad hadn't said this to him. He hadn't promised to find his mom. He hadn't even told Jake that he thought she might still be alive. But, he didn't have to. Jake saw the way his father looked at the photos of his mom. He saw the look of hope in his eyes. His dad hadn't given up on his mom. He was the only one who didn't look at Jake in defeat.

Cassie had given up. Daniel, Teal'c, Janet, even General George had given up on his mom.

But, not his dad. And not Jake.

The two of them had to stick together.

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After Carol's car turned the corner at the end of the block, Jack shut the front door and headed back to the kitchen to finish cleaning it before leaving for the mountain. He had just finished getting all the dirty dishes in the dishwasher and turning the machine on when he heard the doorbell ring.

Cosmo barked, and then growled lightly at the door when Jack entered the front room. "Back!" Jack ordered, and with a low growl, Cosmo backed up behind Jack, ready to pounce if need be on whoever was on the other side of the door.

Jack opened the door and stood there staring at a man close to his age, looking remarkably similar to him. They both had gray hair and brown eyes, similar tanned skin, and were almost the same height. Jack was just about half an inch taller. "Can I help you?" Jack finally asked the man, who was looking over him just the same.

"You're Jack O'Neill, aren't you?" the man asked in surprise.

Jack cocked his head in surprise and stood up a little taller. "Whose askin',"

The man gave Jack a confused look before his words registered, and then he fumbled for several seconds over his own tongue. "Oh, er, uh, I'm sorry. I'm Tom. Uh, Tom Jenkins. Colonel Tom Jenkins. I work at Peterson. Special Forces. You're kind of a legend over there. I saw a few photos of you, people seem to think we look a lot alike."

Jack raised both eyebrows, but refused to comment. They did look awfully similar. However, this man had a smoother, more pretty face than Jack. Jack's was much more weathered, slightly more worn. Something Jack was quite proud of. His face was that of an accomplished soldier.

"What can I do for you, colonel?" Jack asked, his tone taking on the familiar military authority at its own accord.

"I came to see Jake," the colonel replied quickly, no longer tripping over his words.

Jack shot up an eyebrow again. "Jake? Why?"

"I wanted to see how he was doing after his mom……you know."

"You knew Carter?" Jack asked, his arms crossing his chest, and his body leaning against the doorframe.

"Yes, we used to date. I was shocked when I heard she was KIA. She works under a damned mountain, for Christ's sake. Ever since I heard, I've been thinking of Jake. He doesn't even have a father, poor kid."

"Actually," Jack said, his voice dropping to a more venomous tone. "He does have a father, you're looking at him."

The look of surprise that crossed the officer's face was almost comical, and if Jack wasn't severely pissed that this guy dated Carter and was buddy-buddy with his son, he may have laughed. But, as it was, he was severely pissed. Whether he had any right to be or not.

"Oh," the man finally managed to get out. "Sam never said, uh, she mentioned working with you a few times, but she never……. Wow! I had no idea."

"Now you do," Jack replied, still making himself seem every bit as threatening as he truly could be.

"So then, how is Jake? I really was concerned for him."

Jack couldn't fault the guy. He obviously didn't come here to try and hook up with Carter, he already said he heard she was KIA, and he really did seem to care for Jake. "He's getting better. We're taking it one day at a time here."

Tom let out a sigh of relief. "That's good. Could you tell him I stopped by to see him?"

Jack nodded, his steely gaze never leaving the officer's face. "I will," he told him. "He's at school right now."

"Would it be alright if I stopped by and saw him sometime? If it's awkward for you or anything…" Jack cut him off.

"That would be fine. I'm sure Jake would be happy to see you."

The man nodded somberly at Jack and then bid him good-bye. Jack shut the door, still fuming, yet somewhat grounded over the fact that Sam had found a relationship with someone so much like him. They really did look a lot alike, and the guy was in special forces, just like Jack had been before the SGC.

He shook the thought out of his head and took the steps two at a time. First a shower, then to the SGC.

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Jack clenched the reports in his tight-fisted hands, his rage taking over every inch of his body to the point where he had to wonder if his insides really were on fire. How could they?

They left her.

They _fucking_ left her!

She was hit, she went down, but they never confirmed her death.

Those sons of bitches.

They left her.

Jack's eyes flashed heatedly, showing the internal fire that was raging within him. If anyone had seen him, they surely would have shit their pants. This was not Jack O'Neill. Jack O'Neill was gone the moment he read the first report confirming they left Carter behind.

The shell that remained was not even human. An animal? Possibly a machine? Whatever was left, was definitely not a warm-blooded, loving human. No, that man was gone. What was left was a fuming, teeth gnashing, sadistic, shell of a man, running on pure hate-induced adrenalin. He could kill. Right this second, one word from anyone, and he would surely snap their neck.

He had trusted them.

And they left her behind.

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Laira wiped the major's forehead again with the wet cloth. She had not awakened since the split-second she had opened her eyes the day before. She had looked at Laira in confusion, but then Laira saw recognition flash across her face and her body relaxed, knowing she was safe. She had closed her eyes, her soft facial features proving to Laira that the major trusted her completely.

She still had a long way until recovery. It was a miracle the earth woman was still alive as it was. But, now that she had already awakened once, Laira was sure she would awaken again, and was most positive, that she would heal enough to find a way to get her home.

For Jack's sake.

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	8. Chapter 8

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"Major. Major, can you hear me?" a soft, determined voice sounded in Sam's ear. Where was she? What was going on? Mission. Bad. Hit. SHIT!

Sam's eyes flew open and she jerked away from the woman taking care of her.

"Major Carter, it's okay. It's me, Laira. You came through our stargate. You are injured, try not to move too much. We don't know how bad your internal injuries are."

"Colonel?" Sam whispered hoarsely.

Laira crinkled her nose in confusion. "I'm sorry?"

"O'Neill?"

Laira felt her heart drop at the anguish on the other woman's face. "He's not here," she gently announced.

Sam closed her eyes as a tear slipped from the corner of her right eye.

"I'm sorry, Major Carter. Daniel and Teal'c came looking for him shortly before you arrived. When you came through, we sent for him, but he was already gone. We have no way of getting in contact with him."

Sam clenched her eyes tighter and nodded minutely. Laira handed her a glass of water and helped the woman sit up enough to sip the liquid.

Once Sam had drank half of the water, she laid back down on the bed. Seconds later she was asleep once again.

Laira sighed and stood up. Grief and guilt filled her body as she watched the earth woman sleep restlessly. Grief that the major had to go through this ordeal without O'Neill here to take care of her, and guilt that she had been the one who took O'Neill from her to begin with.

She had known all along where O'Neill's heart lied, and still she was too selfish and needy to give him up right away. Even after she discovered she was not with child, she held onto Jack.

She sighed again heavily. The guilt of that would never go away. The only thing she could do was take care of Major Carter the best she could, and hope that one day, Jack would return for her.

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"YOU LEFT HER BEHIND!" Jack screamed at the group of men in the briefing room.

"Jack, settle down," Hammond ordered, but Jack was seeing red, and didn't even register his former CO's words.

Jack's eyes locked on Teal'c, the one warrior who he had trusted the most. "How _could_ you?" he cried.

Several men in the room were shocked when they saw the normally stoic jaffa falter slightly and his face flash with undeniable sorrow. "I witnessed Colonel Carter fall in battle. She was struck several times with staff weapons. We were under fire, and I was unable to retrieve her body. Daniel Jackson was also injured and I chose to get him through the gate before coming back for Colonel Carter. I have failed you, O'Neill, for this I cannot express the remorse I feel."

Jack's fury died slightly at Teal'c's words, but he was still too upset to forgive anyone. "She could have survived. No one confirmed her death."

"I sent men back to retrieve the bodies, but Colonel Carter's was not among them, Jack. The staff blasts caused numerous fires and the area Carter was struck had been burnt beyond recognition. It was assumed that her body burned in the fire."

Jack took in this information with a grave look. "I can't," he stopped and looked back up at Teal'c and Daniel, the looks of misery and regret on their faces too much for him to handle. "I can't be here right now," Jack choked out and then quickly fled the room and subsequently the mountain.

He managed to get back to Carter's house on autopilot, and found himself in her room, the photo of Sam and Jake clutched in his hand as he curled up into a ball on her bed. Holding the photo to his chest, Jack finally succumbed to the grief that had blackened his heart the moment Daniel said, _"It's Sam," _and tears poured down his face as he cried for the love he had lost.

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"Here, try this," Laira said, handing Sam a bowl of what looked like porridge.

Sam eyed the gooey mess in the bowl and then sniffed it.

Laira laughed. "I assure you, it's edible. You must eat to help you recover."

Sam looked up at Laira somberly. "I need to get home."

"You will, someday," Laira told her, handing her a wooden spoon to eat her 'porridge' with.

Sam took the spoon and scooped up a glop of the goo. She slipped it into her mouth and reveled in the taste of something other than water. "Do you have something I can write with?"

Laira looked at Sam bemused.

"Paper, uh, parchment, ink, something I can write coordinates down with?"

Laira's face brightened up in recognition. "Yes, yes, we have parchment. I will go and find some for you. Please, finish your supper while I am away."

Sam smiled warmly and nodded at the maternal woman before scooping up another spoonful of her 'supper.'

A few minutes later and Laira returned with a yellow piece of thin cloth-like paper and chalk. Sam set the empty bowl on the table next to the bed and took the items from Laira. Carefully, Sam wrote down seven coordinates, the chalk chipping and causing a small mess on the parchment as she did so.

When she was finished, she handed the parchment to Laira. "Can you send someone to these coordinates to tell them I am here?"

"Where is this?" Laira asked.

"It's our Alpha Site. There is no iris like the gate on earth, so anyone can get to it without a GDO. There will be armed men waiting on the other side, but if they are told who you are, and that I am here, they will send people to get me and take me home."

Laira nodded. "I will send some of our men here right away."

"Thank you," Sam replied.

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"Um, dad?" Jake's small voice rang out, waking Jack from his light state of slumber on the couch.

"Yeah?" Jack replied groggily, stretching his worn muscles and looking at Jake and Julie standing next to the couch with not-so-angelic looks on their faces.

"Will you be our soccer coach?" Jake asked suddenly.

"What?" Jack asked in surprise.

"Our new soccer coach. We need one or we can't play."

"What happened to your old soccer coach?"

"Er, well, we kind of left that team?"

Jack glared down at his son and Julie and noticed how they both avoided his eyes. "Why?"

Both kindergartners started talking at once, and Jack grabbed his throbbing head and shushed them. "One at a time!" he ordered when they finally fell silent.

Julie huffed indignantly and then looked at Jake with a raised eyebrow, her little hands propped on her hips in a look of contempt that made Jack cringe slightly.

"It's not our fault!" Jake announced, and Jack sighed. This was going to be one of _those_ conversations again.

Jack ran a hand over his face, brushing away the remaining fragments of sleep from his body. "Alright, let's hear it," he sighed.

"Well, we were at practice, and Julie missed a shot and…"

"I was far away, and anyone could've missed it!" Julie shriekingly cut in.

"But Chase told her that she only missed it 'cuz she's a girl. And that's not true, 'cuz Jules is right, anyone could've missed it, and Chase is stupid, and I told him so, and he told me that I'm a girl-lover, and I told him he was an idiot who ate his own buggers and this girl, Sidney, laughed, and he pushed her, and Julie came up and pushed him back and told him he was a bully, and then he tried to push her, but I couldn't let him push Julie, so I punched him in the stomach, and told him he was a sucky soccer player anyways, and we didn't want to play with him anymore. But, Chase's dad is our soccer coach, so we couldn't just get him kicked off the team, so me and Julie quit, and then a bunch of other kids quit too, and then Chase said we would be the worst team ever, so now we just HAVE to beat him, but we need a coach for our team or we won't be allowed to play. So, will you?"

Jack looked at his son in astonishment. Then, a movement out the window caught his eye and he looked up only to see a group of children standing on the front lawn, patiently waiting for his answer through the open window. Jack sighed. "Jake, I don't know the first thing about soccer."

"It's just like hockey, and you love hockey!" Jake cried. "Except instead of sticks and a puck, it's feet and a ball. You can do it! Please!" Jake pleaded, accompanied by Julie only seconds later.

"Please, Colonel O'Neill!"

Jack stood up and looked at the group of children wearily. "Who do I have to talk to?" he asked in a tired voice.

Jake jumped up and down and grinned widely at his father. "Mrs, Tompkins. Her numbers on the refrigerator with the rest of the school numbers. Thank you, dad!" Jake squealed, and then wrapped his small arms around his dad's legs.

Jack patted him on the back. "Yes, well, I can't guarantee I'm going to be any good at this."

Jake and Julie ran out to tell the rest of the kids the good news and Jack walked over to pick up the phone that just started ringing.

It had been two days since he left the SGC, and he hadn't heard from any of them, except for Cassie, since. He had been pissed, and he knew they were giving him time to cool down, but as he picked up the receiver, he couldn't help but notice the number to the SGC displayed on the caller ID.

"O'Neill," he said just as the phone reached his ear.

"Jack, I need you at the mountain, ASAP," General Hammond's voice announced.

"What's going on, sir?"

"I'll fill you in when you get here. It's about Colonel Carter, Jack."

Jack felt his stomach tighten and his blood run cold at the general's words. Without another thought, Jack ran out the door to get Jake to Julie's house so he could get to the mountain as fast as possible.

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**Q and A:**

**Q: Why didn't Jack just go to a planet with a GDO to get home?**

**A: As far as I know, the only people the SGC gave GDO's to were the tok'ra and Bra'tac. It's unlikely, and unmilitary-wise that they would give GDO's out to the more primitive people they met through the gate. And, the more advanced races didn't need GDO's (ie. Asgaard and Tollan) And, Jack couldn't very well go strolling to Chu'lak to get the GDO from Bra'tac, and the tok'ra were constantly moving their base, so Jack finding them was even more unlikely.**

**Q: Why didn't Jack find a planet with technology that could get him home?**

**A: He left in season three, and most of the planets they had been to at that time were more primitive. The Nox were an exception, but they buried their gate, Jack didn't know where the Tollan's were, and the Asgaard weren't that much in the picture in season three yet. Also, there are billions of planets, and even though quite a few more than likely had technology that could help Jack get home (ie. A radio so he could get in contact with the SGC) so far, he hadn't found any of those planets.**

**Q: Why don't they just dial the gate and the SGC will know where the coordinates came from?**

**A: I'm not in the belief that the SGC has a star 69 feature. Though, it would be cool, and quite helpful. The few episodes that had people dialing the earth gate showed that the SGC didn't know the coordinates until they were sent. Some examples are: "Thor's Chariot," they only knew it was Cimmeria when the mineral signature was analyzed and they realized it was the same mineral signature of the box they gave Kendra. Also, the Eurondons sent coordinates, as well as the Replicator Carter in season eight.**

**Q: Why didn't Jack go to the Alpha Site and go home?**

**A: Because the Alpha Site was constantly getting discovered or destroyed by the Goa'uld and moved to new locations. By the time Jack decided to return to earth, the Alpha Site location he knew was long gone.**

**I hope this answers some of your questions. Next chapter will have the Sam/Jack reunion.**


	9. Chapter 9

a/n: Another short chapter, but hey, it's better than nothing, right?

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The first thing Jack noticed when he walked into the briefing room was how pale everyone's faces were. "What's going on, sir?" he asked, his heart already picking up pace in his chest.

"Colonel Ronson from the Alpha site just got in touch with us. Apparently, some Edorans showed up there claiming to have Colonel Carter in the care of Laira…"

"WHAT?" Jack screeched in utter shock. "Laira?"

Hammond nodded. "According to the Edorans, Sam showed up shortly after Daniel and Teal'c were there looking for you. They went to the planet with your base camp, but your men informed them that they had no way of getting in contact with you…"

Jack let out a loud sigh of regret. He had been so out-of-his-mind when Daniel and Teal'c had told him about Carter's death and his son, that he never even thought to leave a radio and Earth coordinates with his men.

"She was unconscious when they found her, and the Edoran doctor was unsure if she would survive at all. She recently came to, and gave the Edorans the Alpha site coordinates so we could send men to bring her home. I assume you want to be part of that team?"

"Yes sir," Jack croaked out, his heart clenching unbearably in his chest.

Hammond nodded. "Alright, SG-1, SG-9, and Dr. Frasier will be joining you. You head out in ten."

Jack nodded and started to turn around to head to the gear-up room when Hammond spoke again.

"Uh, Jack?"

Jack turned back around.

"We all want it to be Colonel Carter, but before we can bring her back to the SGC, we need to confirm that it really is her."

Jack swallowed the lump in his throat. "I understand sir."

"Very good, dismissed. And good luck, son."

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Going through the gate, arriving on Edora, walking to the town, it had all been done on auto-pilot. If Jack thought back, he wouldn't even be able to remember anything after being dismissed from the briefing room to prepare for this mission. This very, very, very important mission.

He didn't take notice of Laira's house as they arrived. He didn't see the new wooden chair on the porch, or that she had made new curtains for the windows. It was as if it wasn't even there to Jack. He walked up the front steps, opened the door, and went straight to the room where his heart told him Carter would be.

Approaching the threshold, Jack stopped abruptly, causing Janet to bump into him before mumbling under her breath and scooting past him to get to her patient.

There she was.

Her eyes were closed, her golden hair was matted and tangled spread out on the pillow. Her face was pale and hollow-looking. Her body was limp and small lying on the small feather-downed bed.

Jack couldn't move. His feet might as well have been cemented to the ground, because he was completely frozen in his spot at the door.

His eagle eyes never left her frail body on the bed, his heart was beating erratically in his chest, praying that she was alive, that she would survive, that they had gotten here in time.

But, for the life of him, he just could not step into that room.

He was scared.

And he didn't understand why. He just knew that there was only one other time in his life that he had ever been as scared as he was right now.

The day his son died.

He was unconscious of the other men in the room now. They had all had to push their way past Jack to get into the small room, but they had done it without saying a word to him. Without him even aware that they did.

Janet's small hands were busily moving over Carter's body, and he knew Janet was talking, but he never heard a word of it, his mind completely zoned in on one thing and one thing only. Everything else was just a small buzz in the back of his head.

And still, he couldn't enter the damn room.

"J-Janet?" came the sweetest, softest, most wonderful sound in the world to Jack, and he felt his knees weaken as Carter slowly opened her eyes.

"Yes, Sam, it's me. Daniel, Teal'c and Colonel O'Neill are here to. We found you, we're going to take you home."

Sam's eyes fluttered up and landed on Jack, a look of sheer surprise flashing across her pale features.

And still, he was stuck in the doorway! He tried to smile at her, but his fear wouldn't let him. The most he got was pursing his lips together while the blood rushing through his veins felt like hammers pounding on his head.

"I need you to tell me where it hurts, Sam?" Janet's voice cut in and Sam's eyes fluttered closed.

"Everywhere," she whispered.

"Sam? Sam?" Janet called, lightly patting Carter's cheek. But, the air force colonel didn't even flinch.

Janet sighed. "She's back out." Turning, she looked at Jack and then to the other men in the room, who Jack finally noticed were there. "Let's get these stupid tests done and get her home. She's running a high fever and I need to find out where the infection is."

Immediately, the men of SG-9 and Daniel and Teal'c jumped into action. They buzzed around Jack's prone position and helped Janet get the tests she needed to prove Carter was Carter.

Jack just kept watching Carter. His body tense as he waited desperately for her to open those beautiful blue eyes of hers again. She was alive. She was alive. She was alive.

"Jack?" a familiar voice sounded next to him, and quickly, Jack's eyes darted to the woman next to him and then immediately back to Carter.

"Yeah," he croaked out.

"She will be fine. Your doctors will heal her," Laira told him in a sure voice.

Jack's only response was clearing his throat.

"I believe she chose here to come to in the belief that she would find you."

The words shocked Jack, and he pried his eyes away from Carter to stare at Laira in disbelief. "What?"

Laira let a small smile touch her face before continuing. "The first time she awakened, she asked for you. When I told her you were not here, I could see disappointment clearly on her face. Major Carter knows many coordinates, but she sought out our world, with little knowledge of medicine and healing, as opposed to your alpha site or other advanced worlds. It is my strong belief that she was looking for you."

"W-Why?" Jack meekly asked, his eyes once again trained on his former second-in-command.

"It has long been proven that many times, when someone goes through a traumatic or painful experience, they seek comfort from those they love and trust the most. Major Carter was barely alive when she arrived here. My woman's intuition tells me she was looking for you to comfort her, to take away her pain."

"Carter's smarter than that. She wouldn't have let emotions get in the way. Her mind doesn't work like that."

"She's a woman, Jack. I assure you, her mind does work like that. When she was in agonizing pain and trauma, she sought out the man she trusted the most. She sought out you."

Jack swallowed the enormous lump in his throat and kept his gaze on Carter. His feet still stubbornly refusing to move.

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As soon as the tests and blood work confirmed Carter was Carter, she was immediately taken to the SGC. Jack hadn't said a word the entire way back home, and Sam had not awakened again.

It was hours before Janet finally left the infirmary. Jack, Hammond, Daniel, and Teal'c were all restlessly waiting outside in the corridor. "She has a blood infection. We have her hooked up to broad-spectrum antibiotics now, but with her protein-marker and the length of time she's had this infection, I can't guarantee…"

"You can't guarantee what?" Jack growled, standing up and towering over the petite doctor. His disheveled appearance almost frightening to Janet.

Janet took a step away and stared up into Jack's dark orbs, and she almost gasped at the desperation she saw in them. "I'm sorry, colonel, if we'd gotten to her sooner…."

Jack's large hands immediately clapped onto her shoulders and shut the doctor up instantly.

"Gotten to her sooner? Gotten to her sooner? You're the damn doctor! We're on Earth now! She survived on Edora, she can't come home just to end up dead now! Not after everything she's been through. Not after everything I've been through!"

"Colonel O'Neill!" Hammond shouted at the same time that Daniel and Teal'c pulled Jack off of Janet.

"I assure you, colonel," Janet practically spat at Jack. "I have no intention whatsoever of giving up on Sam. I was merely informing all of you on her condition. The Edorans did an excellent job with her superficial wounds, but her internal injuries, while, thankfully, were not severe, still led to a blood infection. This is the main thing we are worried about right now. As soon as we clear up the infection, she will be on the road to recovery."

Jack nodded, his body relaxing in defeat.

"Doctor!" a nurse yelled at the door to the infirmary. "The patients crashing!"

Janet ran into the infirmary and Jack stood stoic in his spot. Fear, once again, grasping his body and rooting him immovable.

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a/n: The freezing in the doorway was actually a personal experience of mine when my great-grandmother died. She was the first person who died that I was close to, and even though I had cried beforehand, when we got to the funeral home, I froze up and couldn't enter the room where her body was. It was a very emotional experience and I thought it would work well in this story. I hope all of you thought it worked nice as well.


	10. Chapter 10

-1a/n: This one's killer-short, but dang it if I'm not super-tired this morning. My brain just doesn't want to write the reunion of Jake and Sam today.

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Beep, beep, beep, was the first of anything that registered in her fuzzy, heavy-laden mind. The noise wasn't extraordinarily loud or screechy, but the constant, beep, beep, beep, was still rather annoying with its repetitiveness. Not to mention, her throbbing head seemed to pound that much harder every time another beep sounded.

She was still mostly unconscious, but somewhere in the back of her mind, she decided that she could drown out the noise if she just pushed herself completely back into the world of sleep, and so she tried to do just that. She felt herself letting go, sailing away back to the land of blissful inexistence, when all of a sudden…..

BEEP!

The sudden, unexpected noise caused her to flinch, and she jerked completely awake rather abruptly. Her eyes flew open and she moaned at the awfully bright light that blinded her instantly. Slamming her eyes shut, she tried to shield them more with her arm, but it was anchored to the bed and completely immovable.

"Carter?" a familiar, yet unexpected voice sounded in her ear, and she forced her eyes to squint open.

"Sir?" she croaked out, her voice raspy and weak.

She heard him let out a long sigh and felt him come closer to her. The next thing she felt was his warm, large hand grasping her own.

"Thank God," he breathed out, and she was acutely aware that his words were not directed at her that time. "How do you feel?" his soft, caring voice asked.

Sam just stared at him, her eyes now more adjusted to the bright light of the infirmary. Was he really here? After all this time? Why?

And then, as all her memories and emotions finally joined her back in the land of the living, she knew exactly why he was here, why he had finally returned.

"Jake!" she moaned, her eyes now wide in alarm.

"He's fine," Jack told her, squeezing her hand in his and then rubbing his thumb across her knuckles gently. "He's fine. He misses you, though."

Sam's eyes widened even more, if possible, and as she tried to speak, her lungs betrayed her and sent her into a coughing fit.

Jack jumped up and retrieved a Styrofoam cup from the bedside table and guided the straw to her mouth. Sam sucked in the water greedily, her throat thanking her as it was finally hydrated.

"Where is he?" she asked the second the straw left her lips.

Jack set the cup back on the table and looked down at the blonde colonel before him. "At home. Cassie's with him. He's good, Carter."

Sam nodded in relief, her eyes slowly closed and she laid the full weight of her head back on the pillow behind her. She felt herself once again dragged back down to that world of unconsciousness, and it felt wonderful. She was tired, so very tired. And now that she knew that she was safe, that Jake was safe, she could rest peacefully in slumber while her body healed.

She was almost completely there, on the other side of consciousness, she knew he was still in the room, even with her eyes closed and her mind seemingly someplace else, she could still feel his overwhelming presence hovering over her, watching her, protecting her, caring for her. He was her strength. The years he was gone were washed away in her mind, and it was like it had been before. He was her protector, her confidant, her love. She felt the last reigns of reality break and she drifted deeper into sleep. Her lips parted open, but she was too far gone to hear the words that left her mouth and echoed softly in the quiet room.

"You weren't there."

"What?" Jack croaked out in disbelief, but his words sounded on deaf ears. She was fully asleep. He wasn't there? What did she mean?

And then, Laira's words rang loudly in his mind. She had gone to Edora in search of him………..and he wasn't there.

Jack sank back in his chair, his hands finding their way into his already-disheveled hair.

He wasn't there.

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"Jake!" Jack yelled jubilantly as soon as he stepped into the house. It had been two days since Carter had awoke, and Janet had finally given him the green light to bring Jake to see her. He was ecstatic. Jake didn't even know that his mom was back yet.

It had been the hardest thing Jack had ever had to keep from anyone, but he couldn't stand to see his son in misery again. Carter had been bad, and more than once, they almost lost her, but she had finally pulled through. Frasier had taken out the IV antibiotic yesterday, and although still quite pale and weak, Carter was well on the way to a full recovery.

But still, Jack wanted to make sure Carter was out of the woods before telling Jake that she was back. As much as he wanted Jake to know, he knew that if Carter would have died, and Jake had known they had found her, it would have been twice as hard on the little guy, and Jack couldn't fathom the idea of putting his son through that much grief.

"What?" Jake asked half-heartedly, walking slowly down the steps with his toy helicopter in his hands.

Jack smiled widely, and in his excitement, he couldn't wait for his son to finish his trek down the stairs, so he hurriedly rushed to him and flung him up in his arms. "I've got great news!"

Jake wrinkled his nose up at his dad. This was the first time he had seen him so happy.

"Get your shoes on, we're going to see your mom," Jack blurted out, his eyes shining merrily and his smile still stretched across his tanned face.

Jake's eyes shot to his father's, and he held his breath. Was he serious? His mom? "Mom?" Jake softly asked, his voice almost trembling.

Jack had already reached the door with Jake still in his arms, and he happily spun them both around, hugging Jake to him even tighter. "YES!" he cried out exuberantly. "Your mom, she's back."

Jake didn't take his eyes off his father's happy face. He couldn't believe it, but as happy as his dad was, he knew it was true. His mom was back! She wasn't dead after all. She was finally home.

Jake wanted to hurry out the door and go to his mom, to see her, to touch her, to kiss her and tell her how much he loved her and missed her, but he couldn't do any of that. Still looking at his father, so gleefully happy, he did the only thing he could.

He cried.

His tears wet his small face instantly, and his sobs racked his tiny frame. Jack hugged him even tighter, not expecting this reaction, but at the same time, not surprised either. He held him and rubbed his back as his tough little boy let go of all the grief he had experienced since the loss of his mother.

And as Jake wiped his tears on his father's shirt, Jack prayed that his son would never have to know such grief again.

When the tears and sobs were gone for good, Jake pushed himself out of his father's embrace, and with one fleeting look at his dad, he grabbed his sneakers by the door, and without even putting them on, opened the front door and started for the car.

When he realized Jack hadn't followed, he turned around in annoyance and growled at his dad. "Well, what are you waiting for? I can't drive myself to mom!"

Jack let out a short laugh and waved for Cassie to come too. "Come on Cass, Mr. Impatient is ready to go _now_," he teased as he locked the door.

Cassie stepped out of the shadows and joined Jack on the front steps. "I don't blame him one bit," she quietly replied, a hint of pride in her voice.

"Me neither," Jack replied, and then after patting his hand on Cassie's back in comfort, the two joined Jake in the car and they all three headed to Cheyenne Mountain.

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	11. Chapter 11

a/n: Sorry for the long wait on this one. I was moving and then I spent last week updating on the samandjackalways site. I'm not happy at all with this chapter, but I don't know what else to do with it, so you're all stuck with it as is. There is only one, maybe two chapters left to this story.

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"Come on, Sam. One more bite or I'll be forced to stick the IV line back in."

Sam cringed at Janet's words and lifted another spoonful of soup to her lips.

"There you go. Good girl," Janet cheered, a large smile donning her face. "Maybe tomorrow we'll be able to get you back on solids."

Sam felt her stomach flip at the mention of heavier foods and she set the spoon back down on the tray with her eyes closed, desperately trying to calm her upset stomach.

"You okay?" Janet asked.

Sam nodded her head slowly while lifting her eyes to Janet. However, before her eyes ever made contact……….

"MOM! MOM! MOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMM!"

Janet stood up and turned around just as a small, fast moving figure came running into the infirmary. "MOMMY!" Jake yelled, a gigantic smile on his face as he saw his mother on the bed. He jumped around a few times before launching himself in the bed and right on top of Sam.

Jack arrived just in time to see Jake leap on his mom and the look of pain that flashed across Sam's face because of it. "Whoa, slugger! Be careful, your mom's still recovering. She's really sore."

Jake mumbled an apology and then settled himself next to Sam, his tiny arms wrapped around her and his head on her chest.

Sam hugged her son to her, although she was hurt and exhausted, just having Jake around had taken away a little of the pain she had been in for far too long. Jack sat down in the chair Janet vacated and talked to Sam while she clung to Jake, but the truth was, she didn't hear a word Jack was saying. Jake was okay. She was home. Jake was okay. She was home…finally.

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The first visit ended sooner than Jake liked. He was talking to his mom about Julie and Chase when he looked up and noticed that she had fallen asleep. His dad convinced him to leave with a promise that he would bring him back the following day.

The next day, their visit lasted a little longer, but still his mom got tired quickly and their visit was cut short. The following day, his mom, once again, fell asleep shortly into their visit, but Jake had other plans this time. As soon as Sam's eyes closed and her hand fell heavily on Jake's shoulder, he scooted out from under her, went to his back pack and pulled out the many drawings his class had made for his mom.

Jack watched in amusement as the five year old decorated Sam's private room with paintings and 'Get Well' greetings. He stood on chairs, jumped as high as his little legs would allow to get the tops of some pictures, and even wrapped his fingers accidentally in the tape a few times.

Every time Jack offered to help, the little guy would scowl at him and inform him in his little indignant voice that he was more than capable of doing it himself.

So Jack continued to watch with humor dancing in his eyes as his son used all of his pent-up energy to cover the walls in kindergarten artwork. When he was finished, he pushed the chair he had used as a ladder back over to his mom's bed and plopped down in it, sighing heavily, a small sheen of sweat glistening on his forehead.

"Finished," he exclaimed, looking proudly at his dad.

Jack grinned and looked around the room. There was paper covering almost every inch of the walls. "Nice," he complimented, his eyes traveling to one picture with green and yellow paint covering almost the entire paper and the words, 'Git Wl soom,' written across the middle in bright red.

Standing up, Jack walked over to his son. "Your mom will probably be out for another hour or so, why don't we go get some dinner and then we'll come back to see her reaction?"

Jake nodded and stood up. "Okay," he agreed, and with one last look at his mom asleep on the bed, he skipped out of the room and towards the elevators.

When they returned back to the room a half an hour later, they were both shocked to see Sam sitting up in bed, her cheeks a healthy rosy color, and her eyes sparkling with life.

"Mom!" Jake shouted in surprise, barreling into the room. "You're up!"

Sam's face perked up even more as a large smile took over. "I am," she said in the strongest voice yet. "And my room looks absolutely beautiful! I can't imagine who did it."

"Me! Me! It was me!" Jake squealed in excitement. "Dad wanted to help, but I told him no, I wanted to do it all by myself!"

Sam grinned at her son, but the word, 'dad,' had caught her by surprise and her eyes sought out those of Jack's. He didn't seem to notice how the word affected her because his eyes stayed on Jake while a proud grin lined his face.

"What's wrong?" Jake asked, immediately picking up on his mom's sudden downtrodden expression.

"What? Nothing, sweetie, I'm fine," Sam replied, scooting over and patting the bed for Jake to climb up and sit beside her. "I love my room. Thank you."

Jake climbed up and hugged his mom. "You're welcome. All the kids in my class helped me make the pictures and Cassie helped me put them in a binder so they'd fit in my back pack. Dad said they wouldn't fit but me and Cass said they would and now he owes us both ice cream cones and he has to grill us hamburgers while singing 'Amazing Grace' in the backyard with Daniel, Teal'c and Aunt Janet over. That was Cassie's idea."

Sam laughed and looked up at Jack, who just shrugged, a lop-sided grin on his face. "I think I want to be there for that too," Sam said coyly.

Jake giggled. "Okay! We'll make him do it when you come home. When are you coming home, mommy?"

"Maybe next week," Janet announced, walking into Sam's room.

Jack and Sam both looked at Janet in surprise.

"Really?" Jack burst out.

Janet beamed a huge smile at the three of them and nodded happily. "Yes. The infection's gone. Your body is recovering very well. You'll have to take it easy for a few weeks, but I can't see why you can't do that at home with these two capable men to help you."

Sam's eyes immediately shot to Jack's in surprise. Jack was going to stay with them? She hadn't expected that. She just assumed, now that she was back with Jake, that he would be returning to Edora. He had his own family. He had Laira and…….and……Wow! In her injured state, Sam realized that she had never once seen hide nor hair of Laira and Jack's child. She didn't even know if they had a boy or girl!

And now that Jack knew about Jake, and they seemed so close already, would he just leave him? Sam was relieved that the monitors were no longer hooked to her as she felt her heart pick up its pace. Would Jack try to get custody of Jake? Would he want to take her son to Edora? What had she done?

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Sam kissed the top of Jake's head as the small boy snoozed in her arms.

"He wore his little butt out decorating for you," Jack commented in a soft, quiet voice.

Sam smiled and pulled her son a little closer into her arms. "I can tell," she practically whispered, her eyes never leaving her son.

"You should get some more rest soon. Especially if you want to come home next week."

Sam turned her head to face Jack. "You know, I appreciate everything you've done, sir. But, you don't have to stay and take care of me. I know…..I know you have your own life now."

Jack chuckled. "It's nothing I can't walk away from Carter. In fact, Hammond has already suggested setting up a base with my men."

"What?" Sam asked, completely confused. "There going to put a base on Edora?"

"Edora?"

Sam crinkled her eyebrows and stared at Jack, more confused than ever. "Edora," she repeated, having no idea what else to say.

Jack sighed and shuffled his feet, moving his body agitatedly in the chair. "Carter," he sighed again. "I haven't lived on Edora in years."

"What?" Sam gasped, still quite confused. "But…..Laira…..your child?"

"No child, Carter. There never was. Laira was going through menopause, not pregnancy. She just didn't know it until after I was already stuck on Edora."

"Stuck?" Sam breathed.

Jack nodded, his face taking on a sad expression as he gazed at Sam. "Yeah, Carter, stuck. I had no way home. I tried, believe me, I tried. Eventually I met some people and we made a home on an abandoned world. But every time, every day, I looked for some way to get home, someone who might know how I could. I was beyond thrilled when Daniel and Teal'c finally showed up. Well, thrilled until they told me about…"

"I know," Sam cut in, relieving him of saying anything too emotional.

Jack bent his head down, resting his hands on his forehead. "I dreamt of coming home so many times, but I never wanted to come home this way."

"I'm sorry," Sam whispered. "I didn't know. I would have come for you."

Jack lifted his head back up, and in a soft, loving voice, replied, "I know."

Sam felt her breath hitch in her throat at his tone, her eyes refusing to break contact with his. When she couldn't take anymore, she closed her eyes, her head dropping back onto her pillow in relief. "So…….you're staying on Earth?"

Jack let out a short cough. "Yeah. Hammond's already offered me a civilian post and I can use the gate to check on my guys and …….Edora from time to time."

Sam nodded, refusing to open her eyes. "That's good," she croaked out. "Jake will be happy."

"Jake's absolutely amazing, Sam," Jack announced, his voice low and husky, her name coming out of his mouth in a way that made Sam's heart stop.

"He is," Sam replied, her voice shaky.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

Sam opened her eyes and looked at Jack in confusion. "For what?"

Jack paused for a moment. "Everything."

After a long, uncomfortable pause, Sam asked, "that night?"

"No! God no, Carter. Maybe for everything that caused that night, but never for that night. That night was……" He stopped when he realized how much of himself he was about to expose and quickly changed what he was about to say. "That night gave us Jake."

"Us?" Sam whispered.

Jack leaned over and took her hand in his, squeezing it gently, yet firmly. "Us."

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End file.
